Digital Fashion Week: Guo Pei

Yesterday I caught Chinese couturier Guo Pei's first ever show in Singapore. It was such an honour to be able to watch it in person because her work had so much depth to it! 

The whole show was somewhat surreal, like a dream. Models walked down the runway slowly accompanied by classical chinese music.  Everyone was holding their breath in amazement at the amount and quality of work presented and for sure, their eyeballs were moving up and down like crazy. 

The reason I respect Guo Pei so much is because she has kept the Chinese traditions alive. Unlike many designers today who have abandoned their own tradition for western aesthetics, Guo Pei has kept her own Chinese heritage alive. The heavy silk embroideries, chinese motifs and cuts were all over her collection and she was clearly not afraid to use it. 

I do admit that it is hard to modernise a traditional look because of the danger of it looking tacky. But Guo Pei managed to find that balance that kept her collection so fresh and relevant.

In fact, I loved the clear references to the chinese imperial dynasty dressing! The head dresses, the staggeringly high shoes, the regal cuts reminded me of "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" (Pearl Princess), a popular drama when I was much younger. 

A chinese lantern turned into skirt

The androgynous supermodel that everyone was looking out for, Andrej Pejic closed the runway show before the models came out in full strength to present the full collection. 

I'll be uploading more pictures on my Facebook page so trot down to see it :) If you'd like to watch her whole show again, you can do so on Youtube by searching Digital Fashion Week!