FLIRTING with the boundaries of sexuality and ceremony, A.W.A.K.E. Mode redefines what it means to be a heroine. Wrought with perversion, provocation and potency, Natalia Alaverdian’s heroine comes without frills and fuss for she has a story to tell and her clothes are the narrator. Equivocating and mysterious, A.W.A.K.E.’s female protagonist’s choices to conceal and reveal are the real diegesis of this collection.
Liquid leather, flesh tones and cinched waists conspire to make our heroine sensual and alluring, whilst modest and understated – a recurring theme throughout the show.
Alaverdian deconstructs and reconstructs. Our heroine is sometimes holding on by a set of safety pins and at others, she’s one piece, completely in sync and together. A.W.A.K.E. Mode reminds us heroism comes from times which are both perfect and imperfect. Although, even such imperfections are perfectly constructed in this AW19 collection.
While Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots never met, they did in this collection. Fascinated and motivated by times and places characterized by both their rich and bleak aspects, the brand transports us to a place caught somewhere between Reign and Outlander. The juxtaposition between the second part of the collection was jarring, but sublime. Set to an aria atop a bagpipe accompaniment, we are no longer in the same space as we were with the previous city-girl chic of the opening.
Gone are the sheer ribbed knits, glossed vinyl and wrap skirts, replaced by crushed velvet, spliced Scottish tartans and Elizabethan necklines. An unexpected brutal yet romantic aura radiates, our heroine is resilient and dignified. Clashing prints make her undefined and unpredictable. Pleats, ruching and cowl neck, she’s dynamic and multi-dimensional.
Holding on by a row of safety pins, it’s impossible to deny the punk influence, a homage to all those who refuse to conform. Revisiting the brand’s classic hybrid pieces, Alaverdian remains true to her art and identity. Extensive and meticulous, a book-ending use of Underworld suggests another Scottish influence, a more contemporary one, Trainspotting. “The raw visual language of raves rendered in Trainspotting; weird romance in the Scottish Highlands.”
A.W.A.K.E. Mode may have been inspired by times and places distinguished by their positives and negatives, but they created a show exhibiting they are in a golden age of design and vision. Our new heroine is Alaverdian.
by Robyn Ngan