PORTFOLIO aidi abdullah
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fall winter 2016
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spring 2017
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CONTENTS 10.ART POP | spring 2018
12. LOVE & LIGHTNESS | spring 2017
14. THE MUSE | spring 2017
16. CHINOISERIE 2.0 | fall 2016
22. THE SECRET GARDEN | spring 2016
26. HOKUSAI | fall 2015
28. HALL OF FAME | fall 2015
30. ART IN MOTION | spring 2015
32. RUNWAY COLLECTION
34. ART NOUVEAU | spring 2013
36. COUTURE
38. OTHER PROJECTS
F A R A H K H A N . C O M
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ART POP
spring 2018
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LOVE & LIGHTNESS spring 2017
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collection of love and light, two greats of their very own fields inspired this season’s pre collection.
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ves Saint Laurent’s Love Cards was a series of hand-crafted postcards that the French designer had created and sent to friends to welcome the new year with a symbol of love. The end result is 30 original collages that were a testament of Saint Laurent’s originality and ingenuity. Through this, it was inspired to create messages of love, driven by Saint Laurent’s graphic eclecticism.
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nother great who lent inspiration was Henri Matisse, a modern art giant widely regarded as the twentieth century’s greatest colourist. His signature bold strokes and acid tones gave the collection its stirring energy.
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bevy of tops and blousons in a ultitude of colours, swirls and odd hapes are born. They drum up an urban rhythm that is especially catchy with contrasting hues and a street subtext. Matisse’sspectacular cutouts, coincide with Saint Laurent, who also referenced them in his own work, and appear in a few key styles. They are interpreted with more restraint and offer women a different take on bolds & brights, inviting them to... have a little fun.
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THE MUSE spring 2017
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n Greek mythology, the muses were inspirational women of the arts and sciences. They were embodied in poetry, lyrics and stories. The modern muse is less elusive but equally present and profound.
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he Edie Sedgwick to Andy Warhol. The Bridgette Bardot to Roger Vadim. For Spring 2017, the collection paid a homage to all the fashion muses who influence and inspire womens in fashion.
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n this collection, the shapes have loosened up without any sacrifice of femininity. The attitude is more effortless than ever. A scarlet gown skims the form with nonchalance, while a standout white dress with bow detailing steals the show. All around, the collection is imbued with an irresistible insouciance in ecstatic, life-affirming shades of turquoise, salmon, red and yellow.
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his is a new lightness from the technical perspective and refinement of its techniques whilst elegance and a relaxed sophistication remain the touchstones.
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CHINOISERIE 2.0 fall winter 2016
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t the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the influences of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion were explored in an exhibition called “China: Through The Looking Glass”.
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his collection was inspired by decorative styles, techniques and motifs. It is an exploration of 4 principles: visual art, china, traditional wear and embroidery, and therein basing the entire collection on the ideas of an updated Chinese style as interpreted in a western setting: Chinoiserie 2.0
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he cheongsam lends its elegance to the mood of FW16 where high collars and form fittingness became important features. Greatly inspired by china and decorative ornaments , with the famous blues and whites porcelain patterns and made them into beautiful capes, highnecked dresses and bell-sleeved blouses.
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mbroidery patterns interpreted in black and silver transforms a robe-like dress with bell sleeves into the collection’s most represented piece of its theme. Fluid sleeves relax the line whilst bursts of auspicious reds, burgundy and gold give traditional nuances to modern depictions.
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“We started with a single flower and ended with a whole garden.”
“We started with a single flower and ended with a whole garden.”
THE SECRET GARDEN
spring 2016
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lowers are icons of beauty and one of nature’s most cherished creations. “There isn’t one memorable occasion that happened without flowers. I love how universal yet singularly unique each flower is. There is one for every reason.” This collection is a garden blossoming with femininity, colour and joy. Outlined by a youthfulness that is separate from age, a joie de vivre that is best described by the yellow of a sunflower, the white of a tulip and the orange of an African daisy, all of them favourite blooms of the design team that inspired this collection. uffy-bottom dresses are cut above the knee for that extra spring in her step, and they look incredibly modern and youthful. The after-dark garden is nestled with effortless high glamour, exemplified by skillfully constructed tulip hemlines that are fun and flirtatious. ne gown that deserves a special mention is a sleek midnight number of jet beads, contrasted by a drop line from the waist down, carrying the favourite spring flower. Elsewhere, their habitats became inspirations in their own right. Intricate lines reminiscent of garden gates or the topography of the most manicured lawns lent inspiration.
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HOKUSAI
fall 2015
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his collection was inspired by a trip to the Hokusai exhibition at Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais in Paris was the instrumental block for the brand’s voyage to the Far East. Katsushika Hokusai is Japan’s most famous artist and his work focused on landscapes, flora and fauna and everyday life.
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hotographed, studied and researched all motifs, colour, detail and pattern of his work. This collection is deeply rooted in Asian art and techniques. Images captured were brought to the drawing table and digitized to achieve the most flattering placements. The Great Wave off Kanagawa was carefully translated into a stunning two-piece outfit, comprising a peplum top and midi skirt.
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he collection began with the dress – the one with the red-carpet oomph – but over its course, separates have exposed it to more women. First, the separates story continues in a big way: with peplum tops, mini to midi skirts and Kimono-inspired jacket and capes, a nod to investment separates that have become sought-after items for the modern woman. Column and mermaid gowns are joined by strapless little numbers and midi dresses for the effortless glamour.
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HALL OF FAME
The Queen of Hearts and The King of Spade. John Lennon and Marilyn Monroe.
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f luck be a lady, then the Queen of Hearts with her swanky beau and friends rendered in large graphic prints on easy shapes are every woman’s winning hand. The introduction of the fully-embellised sweater is pure fun and luxury, and one done with an in-house spade print will have even more boys pining for.
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lswhere, it’s rock and roll time with Lennon, Monroe, Hepburn and Dean. Their iconic faces forever etched in Farah Khan’s hall of fame. Brightly hued and blocked against stripes, checks or spirals, it is the item to have come this high summer when the days are long and the good times even longer.
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ART IN MOTION
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pring 2015, inspired by pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, is fun and irresistible. Energetic and youthful, it is built around the artist’s work, and the collection never goes below the knee. Appearing only in cropped tops with flushes of wide animation or graphic Mod-length tunics and blouses – it is apparent that the top is king (or queen) here. hese are delicious tops to be worn freely with existing items from the woman’s wardrobe. But what about the total look the woman might ask? It will be addressed later in the brand’s main outing. This irreverence might just be the brand’s best takeaway from its study of Lichtenstein’s work.
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his collection is a stunning, dynamic split, of wildly colourful or high-contrast black and white. Where the colours flourish, the story constitutes a voluminous skirt, glamourous strapless gowns, playful evening tops and dresses for both day and night. Boxy art-deco patterns are blocked with linear patterns for immediate eyecatchers. Otherwise the patterns are taken east-west to create an outstanding pair of matching jacket and skirt.
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aking a 180-degree turn to black-and-white territory, the mood is elegant with hits of graphic wow. Similar patterns return with their colour sucked out to create stylish sombreness. Where it is necessary, there’s a tiny splash of turquoise or sea blue for a quiet, measured accent.
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RUNWAY COLLECTION
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ART NOUVEAU summer 2013
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his Summer collection taps into the rich heritage of the Art Nouveau era to create a captivating slew of bold and empowering dresses. The collection is distinct and vividly coloured, possessing an inimitable effortless, throw-on sophistication for which the brand is rightfully famous.
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rchitectural influences and floral motifs breathe new life to the brand’s cool aesthetics. Natural forms and structures are merged with the label’s signature metallic shades and rich handcrafted embellishments. The collection is romantic, with patterns skillfully intertwined with curved, abstract lines and organic forms of stems and flowers. In sync with the Art Nouveau inspiration, objects such as lavish birds and dragons are stylized by abstract lines and shapes. The rich detail contained in every piece results in an elegant, graceful yet powerful collection.
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his season’s dressing calls for a show-stopping style, highlighting the juxtaposition of bold greens, pinks, oranges with pastels and neutrals. Organic sculptural shapes are reinterpreted with fitted structures and exaggerated shoulders in a playful way. The dresses are cinched at the waist, setting the pace for beautiful, desirable curves.
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COUTURE
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rt and couture are inextricably entwined. A certain symbiosis informs the relationship between the two, from Elsa Schiaparelli’s Salvador Dali-inspired Lobster dress that referenced his 1934 masterpiece New York Dream-Man Finds Lobster in Place of Phone, to the architectural underpinnings and silhouettes of avant-garde couturier Azzedine Alaïa…
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here has always been a dialogue, a cultural exchange and the same can be said of the label FARAH KHAN that has, since its inception in 2007, employed the centuries-old skills of South East Asian artisans to hand-bead dresses designed for the modern jet-setter. The FARAH KHAN RTW aesthetic is a truly artistic marriage of Modernity and Heritage. Beautifully-sculptured dresses that pay homage to the female form are intricately handbeaded by cultural artisans and yet the construction of the dress with underlying body-shaping mesh allows for it to travel beautifully.
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OTHER PROJECTS
FARAH KHAN Chinese New Year Ad Campaign
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MAGNUM X FARAH KHAN
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Aidi Abdullah aidi.abdullah85@gmail.com +6017 620 8144 www.linkedin.com/in/aidi-abdullah-9753817b