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| Hyun Mi Nielsen's debut collection 'Nocturne, a Picture of a Night Scene' |
In Paris, Christine Hyun Mi Nielsen presented her dynamic debut collection full of light and frothy ruffles, black leather and dark make-up, as a first-time guest member on the official Haute Couture calendar, writes Paul McDonnell. Photography by Elli Ioannou.
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| Inspired by Rodin's 'Hand of God' |
HYUN Mi Nielsen founded her eponymous label last year, with the backing of a female investor, after she was supplanted at Balenciaga by Demna Gvasalia, from Vetements. Her debut collection is a reflection of her emotional journey after that departure and the drama and excitement of establishing her own label.
The strong contrasts in the collection's form, texture and palette illuminated her vision for her first showing as a guest member of haute couture. The blacked out face of a red-haired model was a powerful statement of what she had been through at Balenciaga. The models' army-surplus boots made a pragmatic contrast to the light, ruffled dresses of organza and tulle.
She says this inaugural collection in the French capital is inspired by Seventies style leather and Rodin’s 1896 marble sculpture ‘Hand of God’. The dramatic make-up choice for the models included dark and surreal looks that contrasted with the scalloped, curvilinear dynamism of the clothes.
Born in South Korea, the fashion designer was adopted by a Danish couple and educated in Copenhagen. Nielsen worked
at Max Mara in
Italy before returning to London, where she studied at the Royal
College of Art. She went on to join Burberry and later Alexander McQueen as head of womenswear. She continued to work at other illustrious fashion houses including Balenciaga and Givenchy in Paris before taking on this latest challenge of starting her own label. A surprising debut collection filled with ideas that will be interesting to follow next season.
Tap pictures for full-screen slideshow
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| This curvilinear gown was created using undulating organza strips applied to tulle. Cover picture and main image by Elli Ioannou |
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| Diaphanous ruffles and corsetry contrast with army-surplus boots. |
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| A blacked out face seemed to be a metaphor for the designer's experience at Balenciaga. |
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| Transparency versus opacity were key themes in Nielsen's collection |
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| [left] Heavy top stitching on a floral leather coat. [right] 70's burnt orange ruffles |
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| Leather and scalloped ruffles created a scintillationg contrast of textures and materials |
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| Dark, smudged lips enhanced a sense of surreal drama |
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| Georges Tony Stoll's 'Black hand' inspired design. |
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| Satiny ruffles in chocolate hues gave this blouse have a Seventies look |
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| The charcoal-coloured make-up and red hair that made this look one of the show's most startling looks |
