Vivienne Tam Fall 2014

Article by Ka Yee Chan
Photo credit Niko

Nature can always be a great inspiration. This season, Vivienne Tam was inspired by Duhuang, which is the hidden treasure in Western China. Although the collection was inspired by the ancient Chinese cave frescoes of Dunhuang, the collection kept the 70’s silhouette.

Tam presented the essence of the cave frescoes of Dunhuang throughout the collection. She used wave-like prints on garments and on leggings, which resemble how the rocks are shaped in the caves. There are a number of Buddhist cave sites in Dunhuang. Tam also used Buddhist print in one of her looks. Normally, having a religious figure put in a design can be a bit odd, but Tam managed to use the colors from the caves to blend the whole print, so the Buddhist figure would not stand by itself.

The collection is filled with colors that can be found in the caves. They are beautiful, natural colors of jade green, nostalgic blue, earth tones, and pops of red and red-orange. Lace is also used in many of the looks. Instead of the usual intricate lace, Tam’s laces have volume and thickness. They almost look as if they were crochet knitted, or carved rocks.

Overall, the collection is very well presented. It is the beauty of the Chinese historical site represented in Western style.

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