The starting point of DROMe Fall Winter 2023/24 collection is Showroomdummies, by Franco-Austrian artist Gisèle Vienne, a performative art piece that combines dance, theatre and visual arts to focus on the frontier between the animate and the inanimate, the embodied and the disembodied, through a slow, mechanical choreography, characterised by a mixture of coldness and sensuality.
Creative Director Marianna Rosati took inspiration from the relationship between the body and the artificial bodies portrayed by the performance to reflect on the contrast between reality and its representation, to further develop a core concept that defined the previous DROMe collections. The multitude of personalities that each of us embodies, treasures and express, and the way clothes are one of the main tools through which we can do so.
The many representations of oneself act like layers that we metaphorically put on and off when we dress and undress, unveiling or protecting our vulnerability, playing with what’s real and what is just a perception. The images that present the collection, shot by Gabriele Rosati, are set in an imaginary waiting room that recalls the stage of Showroomdummies, an aseptic, impersonal non-place, a crossing point that symbolises an intimate interior space where all the representations and personalities coexist.
These representations change and evolve constantly in space and time: they are embodied by the different poses of the woman portrayed in the shots, placed side by side on each picture. They reveal a different story each time through movements, postures and variations in the looks she’s wearing, in a constant slow rhythm of layering and un-layering, where the bare skin, covered only by a thin veil, signify the ultimate stage of vulnerability. One identity, multiplied and unfolded in the most neutral, cold lit space, where her humanity contrasts and therefore is enhanced.
The looks are built through the juxtaposition of unexpected layers, colours and details that act like interferences, altering the silhouettes and reforming the established style codes.
The result is a fluid and dynamic set of outfits, a contemporary and almost surreal take on a ’90s inspired business woman look. Tailored pieces from the male wardrobe merge with feminine cuts, skirts overlap pants, cargo pants and utility jackets reshape the classic volumes of trousers and jackets, extra long coats, skirts and dresses embrace the figure, portraying an ethereal woman in constant balance between fragility and sensuality.
Shiny sequins and sharp studs transform the textures, maxi pockets belts, mesh gloves and corsets add depth and movement to the looks.
Materials diverge and collide on the silhouettes: soft, sung nappa leathers are paired with crisp, paper effect nappas, patent leather interferes as a liquid element on the surfaces, while wool pinstriped fabric and gabardine are mixed with leather on the suits, and stretch tattered mohair knitwear wrap the skin, symbolising a sort of fragile corrosion that comes from the inside.
The colour palette is based on neutral tones such as Pure White, Black, Chocolate and Nude, altered by glimpses of Cherry Kiss, Limelight and Crystal.