“It’s orgasmic!”
Louis Shengtao Chen works his way through all his collections. The 2023 LVMH Prize semi-finalist returned to the Shanghai Fashion Week catwalk this season after a year’s absence. Before spring, Chen said he thought about the idea of change. But instead of focusing on the end result, he built this lineup around what he described as the “climax of creation” and the “rush and jitters of excitement” when beauty is laid bare.
“It’s very much about the feeling of orgasm, but not in an erotic or sexual way, but the feeling of climax,” Chen said. “For me, the climax is not the end, but the process itself.” He equated this idea to a metaphor of a chrysalis turning into a moth, explaining that he finds the concept of transformation most inspiring.
Transformation is something he literally explored at the pace of his collection, playing between high-octane glamor and more accessible ideas, but much more deftly in the way his silhouettes oscillated between exploding from the body and embracing it tightly. It is now clear that Chen can cut a fantastic evening dress and muster the restraint to keep it simple. What was interesting to observe here were his more commercially oriented proposals. The winners were a blouse and a denim mini dress, both draped at the bodice in the shape of a moth, and a pair of sheer knit items with spherical metal embellishments. A range of pretty car wash fringe styles with diagonal draping rounded out the range, but easy silk bras and skirts could have been left out. Balancing his enthusiasm for creation and keeping his collections tight will be crucial.
There is an austerity to Chen’s work (see the head-to-toe red look with a crumpled skirt, or the crystal-adorned boning around some of his evening gowns) that is offset by the lightness of his playful yet precise draping. This is a dichotomy of which the designer is aware: “There is something very sensual, something orgasmic, diva, glamor and also something sharp,” he said. Somewhere in the middle was a sexy, double-layered, frilly gown cut in blush and brown georgette. It retained Chen’s dramatic flair while suggesting a developing eye for creating a commercial and desirable dress. Expanding this space should serve him well. Chen is a chrysalis about to leave its cocoon.
