The Belstaff Spring/Summer ’16 collection is inspired by beauty embodied in strength: from the pushing of the waves to the hum of a strangled engine, some of the greatest power is also some of the most lovely, and it’s this dichotomy that Delphine Ninous , VP Women’s Design for Belstaff, attempts to capture here.
Perhaps nature’s greatest force – the power of the sea – rounds out this collection with its most prominent theme. From the play of dappled light in the shallows to the richer hues of the deep ocean, these ultimate energy ebbs and flows are explored through texture, form, color and silhouette, providing a distinctive meditation on femininity.
Belstaff Spring Summer 2016 Photo Credit Nick Harvey
We find the Belstaff woman hurtling through a life of adventure, a free-spirited agent at all times ready and adapting to the challenges she encounters. She is a force of femininity: on the one hand a force to be reckoned with, while on the other a quiet beauty amidst the hustle and bustle. This juxtaposition is at the heart of Belstaff’s womenswear DNA, and is most evident here in the bold yet effortless combination of a long silk georgette robe with 1950s-inspired leather cafe racer, and in the reinvention of classic Belstaff silhouettes such as the Rider’s Coat or four-pocket jacket, which comes in a lighter technical fabric that is bound to be both feminine and protective.
Belstaff Spring Summer 2016 Photo Credit Nick Harvey
Ninous’ second Major Collection for Belstaff, shown during London Fashion Week, was presented in Marylebone’s Hellenic Central Great Hall, an elegant inner-city mansion dating from the early 1900s. Models in the new collection are scattered around the hall amongst sand vignettes, while seascapes and sounds form the backdrop, with the composer Sora Santos (who replaced Florence Welch in his breakthrough band Ashok) played a medley of piano music at the stately Steinway. Mayfair gastronomic newcomer Bouillabaisse caters coastal cuisine to guests who view presentations from the overhanging terrace.
SOURCE Belstaff
