PFW: spikes and 3D forms at Iris Van Herpen

Hosted high up above Paris at the top of the Centre Pompidou, Iris Van Herpen’s latest collection was another exploration of the technical capabilities of 3D printing in fashion.  

Models walked the famous looking platform with center-parted hair and wore spiky heel-less platform stilettos, and equally prickly-looking appliqué work forms on dresses. There were also plenty of jumpsuits and dresses in dark colors, elaborately woven metallic shapes, and other more voluminous 3D forms paired with flowing silks. 

But for all the experimentation, there was some strong evidence for Van Herpen’s ability to create clothing for a woman’s everyday (and every night) life, from a selection of slouchy zip-up bombers to a sharply tailored bar jacket. 

Those extravagant shapes returned at the finale, apparently inspired by magnetic forcefields, but arriving on the runway like translucent aquatic sponges, while the most bloggable of the dresses appeared to be crafted from pure ice. Magnetic stuff indeed.