Chinese city of Suzhou is not without reason called Venice of the East: just one look at a photo of its many picturesque canals is enough to immediately schedule a trip to this fabulous area. Founded in 500 BC, since ancient times Suzhou is famous for its laces, which unique technique of weaving ports the name of the city (Su Xiu). Local masters had the imperial family as clients once. Nowadays a direct descendant of the know-how, thirty years old Lan Yu shows her creations at the Grand Palais in Paris during haute couture weeks.
Each presentation of Lan is a trip through a looking glass (and one of them was called “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland “), where age-old lace manufacturing traditions of her homeland intertwine with structural cut of the West, creating a modern fairy-tale looks of sulfide-like creatures. Her outfits are so light and delicate, that seem woven from a mist rising from a river and spider webs, on which flutter drops of morning dew.
In her latest spring-summer collection, this time presented in Petit Palais, Lan Yu has chosen a new tonality. Inspired by “The Great Gatsby”, it takes us into the atmosphere of New York’s “crazy” twenties (les années folles), when the world was ruled by luxury, insouciance and freedom of manners. However do not search in the silhouettes the typical of that time low-waisted loose cut – the designer borrows from the emancipated era only traits close to her: deep back-cuts, bare shoulders, embroidery of pearls and crystals, silk, lace and satin. For the rest she remains true to her DNA, which is mainly about fragile femininity.
Experiments with draperies are very interesting: a crimson floor length bustier dress made of satin and a silver one with asymmetrical pleats embroidered with beads clusters and ostrich feathers. Impossible to tear eyes from the finest laced hems and loops, so captivating is the skill, the secret of which jealously keeps young heiress of millennial techniques.
In China Lan Yu belongs to a generation of talented designers of the “new wave”, and the President Mr Xi believes that she has “the most promising future.” Probably he knows what he is talking about, and we fully agree with him!
Photo credits: Mazen Saggar