Hasta La Ideas

On February 1st, Daryl van Wouw closed the 10th edition of Amsterdam International Fashion Week 2009 with his show inspired by the rich Asian culture, specifically Chinese symbolism. After skipping the last AIFW to open his own store, van Wouw chose Chinese motifs, a series of sure-to-be-popular sweater dresses and a lantern dress for his new collection, which closed AIFW in front of record crowds. Chinese Opera masks, traditional lanterns and good luck cats were both literally and figuratively incorporated into the collection as motifs, graphics and silhouettes. There were a lot of metallic and patterned leggings over short sweater dresses, combinations that were hinted at in previous Van Wouw collections, but which really came to life here. The sweaters were emblazoned with the colors and geometric patterns of the masks and even the dresses, simpler and more floaty than a typical Van Wouw design, carried the looks seamlessly into the night. The highlight, at least from an editorial perspective, was the bulbous red gown internally fitted with lanterns. Although a little gimmicky, the dress was lots of fun and served to underscore the collection’s theme with an added dose of graphic humor.