More Than Memory: Sketches, Runways, and Reflections
Words by Audrey Sachs (@audrey.sachs)
Nothing is permanent, but life moves so fast that some moments deserve to be preserved a little longer. Here are a few of my favorite runway looks from the end of the 20th century sketched out in pen. Translated onto the page, I’ll do my best to give them life.
Vivienne Westwood - Spring / Summer RTW, 1996, Paris
Vivienne Westwood and the Sex Pistols. Vivienne Westwood and Kate Moss. Vivienne Westwood and etc, etc, etc. This woman has done it all and more. Her portfolio defies genre, reaching punk, pirates, and 18th-century France six decade career. Her designs collected not only from the archaic past, but reflected history as it unfolded around her, often speaking on politics, the masculine and feminine, and the contemporary era. Vivienne Westwood is beyond a household name and without a doubt a global fashion phenomenon.
While she has more extravagant and memorable looks than I can count, it’s one of her more subtle designs that caught my eye. Maybe it’s the way the model hurries down the runway, a doe startling about the stage, her striped skirt floating behind her. Or maybe it’s how the fabric has a mind of its own, stiff as bedsheets but light like hoisted ship sails on a sunny day. Or maybe it's the rounded collar centering the dress’s airy silhouette, or the delicate ribbon at her throat, oscillating with each delicate footstep. Honestly, what makes this design so outstanding is the way it embodies the best parts of spring: warm weather and a breeze sending word of summer.
As the model spins, the fabric folds like origami, unfurling its shape only to chase her as she retreats. The creases adorning the back of the dress billow and form evanescent geometries as she flees, Cinderella-esque, an uncanny sort of loss settling in the audience as this beautiful design departs from sight. R.I.P. Vivienne, you are so loved.
Jean Louis Scherrer - Fall / Winter Haute Couture, 1998, Paris
Jean Louis Scherrer — another legend gone too soon. Established in the pantheon of couture champions like Dior and YSL, Scherrer is well familiar with matters of high fashion. I didn’t know too much about him before stumbling onto this stunning design, but I would say his work speaks for itself.
The dress’s composition is immediately gorgeous, a breathtaking amalgamation of infinitesimal nuances in cut and composition. The silhouette drapes like wax melting from a candle; it’s clear Scherrer was burning the midnight oil on this design. The silk neckline dips down into an extended bodice, while tassels trail down the skirt, densifying until they drape like goat hair. Her heels could be cloven, peeking below the hem of a golden fleece. The details of the dress mark the tribulations of placing each fibrous strand.
The design is a perfect symbiosis between a dress meant to be worn and a model meant to show it to the world. Doused in a rhythm both languid and directional, the model leads with her arms. She orchestrates applause from an audience, her hands buoyant as if repelled by the dress's magnetic field. In fact, it is electric, hard to take your eyes off of, poetry and antiparallel charges in motion. I could quite literally watch her walk forever. The silk captures the light from flashing cameras, lightening the color from ivory gold to moonlight, and for a moment she’s cast aglow. Combined with her internal effervescence, the effect is dazzling — both a woman in a gown and a beacon in the dark. When she spins, revealing a low-scooping back, she leaves us entranced. Truly vivacious. Can you tell I love a good dropwaist?
Chanel - Fall / Winter RTW, 2000, Tokyo
For centuries, Paris has been a metropolis for lovers, film, and fashion fanatics, but if we take a spin around the globe, Japan is no stranger in the stylistic sphere. Tokyo in particular has borne witness to some revolutionary runways by renowned designers like Issey Miyake, Junya Watanabe, and Rei Kawakubo from Comme des Garçons — which, despite its francophone name, is a Japanese fashion house. It doesn’t matter whether you run in niche or mainstream circles; the quality of their craft is undeniable, and their aura is international.
On a similar note, you may know Devon Aoki from the Fast and Furious franchise, but her impact on the fashion industry goes beyond her popular pink and purple racing ensemble seen every Halloween. A 2000s supermodel, Aoki has walked for pretty much every big name you can think of: from Balenciaga to Marc Jacobs to Jean Paul Gaultier, the list goes on and on. Half Japanese and half German, Aoki shows up in Tokyo for Chanel, clad in white. Karl Lagerfeld’s Fall/Winter collection is rather snowboard-chic, as evident in the thick igloo-esque puffer and dress Aoki sports. The traditional paper umbrella on her shoulder is a unique detail excluded from the collection’s debut in Paris, special for the Tokyo audience. Aoki’s expression pulls the piece together, neutral but not vacant, perhaps somewhere between serenity and ennui. Her face is a beautiful balance of soft and sharp features distinct from the stereotypical supermodel. Sketching her was easy, practically instinctual, her visage easily transferable from one medium to another. This is a Chanel girl through and through. I <3 Devon Aoki.
Concluding Thoughts
I hope you enjoyed these looks as much as I enjoyed writing about them, and I encourage you to take a look at the actual runways. Thank you for reading!
