I recently visited the NGV Triennial to get some images of the art on display and couturier Guo Pei’s fascinating 2017 spring-summer Legend Collection was of particular interest. The low light ambience for her ornate costumes captured the mood of her designs although it presented a few photography (without flash) challenges and the needed shutter speed of 1/4 sec tested my camera steadiness. The lavish gold costumes placed on black mannequins gave the impression of a ‘Black Madonna’, especially with the ‘Gold Memory’ gown.
Early in 2016, Guo Pei was preparing for her next collection and visited a small antique shop in a Paris flea market. In a box containing glass beads, old buttons and strips of lace, she found several spools of gold embroidery floss produced a few decades ago. The shop owner informed her that the floss was once a favourite material of couture designers. Without hesitation, Guo bought all the gold thread in the shop, and used it in the embroidery work for her Legend Collection. As she believes gold is the colour of the soul, it was an appropriate choice for the theme of her collection.
‘Golden goddess’ — Guo Pei
(metallic fabric, silk, embroidery, crystals)
‘Legends have always been one of my greatest sources of inspiration’, claimed Guo Pei. ‘The origins of mankind, creation myths and the mysteries of eternal life fascinate me. A part of my soul will always hold onto the most beautiful fantasies inspired by legends.’ Guo Pei’s fantastical designs in her Legends Collection are steeped in classical imagery, reinforced by the use of rich brocades, opulent silks, delicate embroidery, spun gold and bead and crystal details, all hand sown with total dedication to the handcraft traditions of couture. Contemporary elements are also merged into her imaginative designs, resulting in a fusion of oriental culture, classical fantasy and modern avant garde, combined with an inspiring mix of textures and colour. The dazzling array of her beguiling costumes, created by Guo Pei and her skillful team of artisans, convey a grandeur worthy of royal or religious ceremonial dress. Romance, mystique, devotional reverence, Renaissance art, Gothic fairy tales, medieval warriors and heavenly goddesses are all channeled into her Legends collection on display at e the NGV Triennial. The Legend collection reveals an enchanting display of Guo Pei’s reflections on the spirit of devotion, her appreciation of handicrafts, and her perception of divine power.
→The NGV Triennial is running till the 15th April, 2018
‘Angel gown’ (silk)
NGV Triennial
The baroque cathedral of St. Gallen in Switzerland was an inspiration for the Legends collection. She was captivated by the impressive ethereal murals, its dome and the rich gold ornaments. Guo Pei spent 18 months working with haute couture fabric manufacturer Jakob Schlaepfer to design the bespoke fabric for this collection. These fabrics pay tribute to the cathedral’s beautiful painted interiors.
‘Gold embroidered gown’ — Guo Pei, NGV Triennial
(silk, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, embroidery)
‘Red Goddess’ — Guo Pei, NGV Triennial
(metallic fabric, silk, embroidery, crystals)
‘Warrior gown’ — Guo Pei
(organza, metal)
‘Gown of Angel’ dress with gold – (silk, metal, embroidery) — Guo Pei
Guo Pei silk and gold dress
‘Gold memory gown’ — Guo Pei
(metallic fabric, silk, embroidery, crystals)
Woven with metal fibre and silk thread, the fabric weighs 0.89kg per metre.
Go Pei Legends Collection
Guo Pei green and gold dress with silk, polyester, polyvinyl chloride, embroidery
‘Luminous spirit’ – Guo Pei
(polyvinyl chloride)
‘White goddess’ — Guo Pei
(metallic fabric, silk, embroidery, crystals)
Feathered gown – Guo Pei
Cross decorated dress — Guo Pei
(silk, gold foil, crystals)
Lantern sleeve gown – Guo Pei
Red goddess gown – Guo Pei
Legend Collection, Spring 2017 Haute Couture by Guo Pei
Guo Pei Legend Collection, NGV
Guo Pei Spring 2017 Couture – Paris Fashion Week
Photo – Marcus Tondo
Guo Pei Legends Collection — Spring 2017 Couture – Paris Fashion Week
Photo – Marcus Tondo
Guo Pei Legends Collection — Spring 2017 Couture – Paris Fashion Week
Photo – Marcus Tondo
Guo Pei Legends Collection — Spring 2017 Couture – Paris Fashion Week
Photo – Marcus Tondo
Elysium Spring Summer 2018 — Guo Pei
Guo Pei – Hong Kong Fashion Week 2010
Guo Pei NYC Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute ‘China Through the Looking Glass’
This gown has a Buddhist iconography influence with the bodice being shaped like a lotus flower,
Hong Kong Fashion Week 2010
Chinese blue and white porcelain inspired dress – Guo Pei
Hong Kong Fashion Week 2010
FIDÉ fashion week in Singapore, 2013
Guo Pei — FIDÉ fashion week in Singapore, 2013
Guo Pei — FIDÉ fashion week in Singapore
2013
Hong Kong Fashion Week 2010
Guo Pei ‘Legend of the Dragon’ dress
Guo Pei gown from ‘The Legend of the Dragon’ Show
Guo Pei Fashion Show FIDÉ fashion week in Singapore, 2013
Guo Pei ‘Legend of the Dragon’ dress
Hong Kong Fashion Week 2010– Guo Pei
Guo Pei
photo by Pari Dukovic for The New Yorker
Guo Pei Singapore Fashion Week
Guo Pei–2018
Guo Pei–2018
Guo Pei, dress from ‘The Legend of the Dragon’ Show
More art from the NGV
Vespers Series – — Neri Oxman and Mediated Matters Group
NGV Triennial
Uji Handoko Eko Saputro, a mix of Javanese mythology with popular youth culture
NGV Triennial
“Half Figure” (1933) by Henry Moore.
Cocijo, God of rain in the Zapotec culture.
Oaxaca, Mexico, Mesoamerica
Nick Cave— ‘Soundsuit’
NGV Triennial
Pae White, USA, ‘Spearmint to Peppermint’ , cotton, polyester
NGV Triennial
Warrior priest impersonating Xiuhtecuhtli
Veracruz, Mexico – 300 CE-500 CE
Dalton and Co – Decorator John Eyre
Picasso vase, Madoura Pottery, Vallauris
1950
Picasso vase, Madoura Pottery
1950
Pilgrim flask — Minton, Stoke on Trent, England
NGV
Chinese Seated female
700 CE 750 CE
‘The Weeping Woman’ – Picasso
1937
Eternity Buddha in Nirvana – Xu Zhen, China
NGV Triennial
1 Comment
The gowns are absolutely beautiful!