Beauty Meets The Beast

After sitting at my computer looking like the Bette Davis character “Baby Jane” a friend asked on facebook if I'd like to come to a fashion show. I took a look in the mirror and saw that I looked like a Gothic nightmare. Before I could answer she told me that I'd need to leave in fifteen minutes. As I washed the cobwebs from my face and threw on a blazer I told her I looked more Frankenstein than glamorous. She laughed, telling me that the summer/spring show of designer Kristian Aadvenik was all about combining Gothic and Glamour to create a fantasy world of fairy tale and nightmare.

Fall 2008 Black Feather Gown

Kristian Aadvenik is a London-based Norwegian fashion designer with an impressive repertoire. He moved to London to pursue a MA at the Royal college of art where he received numerous awards. From here on where Aadvenik went critical acclaim followed. In 2007 he was selected as one of five designers for the “protege project” leading him to work directly under Donatella Versace. After a personal showcase for his fall/winter collection in 2008 at Milan Fashion week he was named as one of falls greatest talents on style.com.

We arrived in the foyer for a champagne reception at the Athaneum in Piccadilly Circus. I later found out the classical setting of this club had held host to fifty two Nobel prize winners in the history of its membership. The air of regality set the tone for an energetic and expectant atmosphere, as we gazed between radical modern hairdos and portraits of great historical members that had resided in this prestigious building.

The show began in the drawing room, where the chatter of fashionistas echoed off the shelves of ancient books. Then as a black metal guitar riff blasted from the speakers our mouths fell silent and our eyes became active. Aadevnik's modus operandi is to strive for a dreamy sophistication of glamour and gothic decadence, which was then duly delivered.

Extravagant feathers and ethereal dresses were all the rage. Bold, beautiful and headstrong the models walked with confident bravado. Like peacocks, the plush feathers that adorned the front of many outfits screamed unbridled sexuality. Yet unusually for a summer/spring collection darkness regularly infused the collection. Regardless of the season, it is the primal animalistic side of man that inspires Aadnevik's art. Our carnivorous past came strongly to mind in one number, where a bouquet of grey feathers trailed behind a silver belted and largely feathered dress.

Spring 2008 Grey Dress

Other numbers created the impression of a fairytale heroine. A variety of light white, grey and black cottons created a seamless combination of complementary layers. Many dresses were adorned by material hanging off the torso, arms and back as if to create the impression of ghostly, transcendent beauty. Perhaps most prominent in the collection was a unique tie-dyed pattern dreamed up by the designer. Various shades of dark grey and black were set against one-piece light grey summer wear. The pattern was reminiscent of an inkblot used to test people's psychological profiles. Again the indication was that Aadnevik's aesthetic interests channelled his passion for tapping into the primal or subconscious.

Kristian by no means created “dark fashion” but he is bringing it to a high class medium. As I walked out and past the TV interviews I thought about how high fashion has always been a medium for glamour, but not necessarily for darkness. As all things dark, morally, financially and politically continue to dominant the media and our mindsets expect the dark side to become more prevalent in fashion, and for Aadnevik's designs to be the star in that night sky.

I left the event on a hot summer night, which much like the show itself, had a combination of warmth and darkness. When I got home I looked again in the mirror. I still looked like a Gothic nightmare, but this time feeling like a dark prince rather than an outsider, I could see the beauty in the beast.