Cathedrals and tiaras for Weizdhurm Franklyn SS16

There are many things Weizdhurm Franklyn wants to evoke when you think of them; exclusivity, opulence, and for their new season Roman architecture. The new collection, debuted at the 2015 Lagos Fashion and Design Week titled ‘Baroque’. It supposedly draws inspiration from the art and culture which gained popularity in the 1600’s that sought to celebrate beauty by means of extravagance and exaggeration of beauty and opulence, a contrast to the sobriety and sparseness of the Renaissance era that came before it.

Known for it’s abhorrence of structure and simplicity, Baroque inspired art tends to lean towards aesthetics that forsake function for excess, volume and excessive layering, embroidery and embellishment are the cardinal expectations of a baroque collection. Most importantly, work inspired by the era is always intricately intertwined with art. It was somewhat quite the stretch to suggest that the new Weizdhurm Franklyn collection took direct inspiration from the Baroque era. Especially when you compared it to Dolce and Gabbana’s homage.

A cursory glance at the detailing of the new Weizdhurm Franklyn collection quickly dispels any doubts that the brand might be ignorant of the meaning and influences that the term Baroque suggests. While the clothes are beautiful (full layered chiffon skirts with art silk bell sleeved tops, crepe dresses, embroidered lace blouses) they are most certainly not Baroque, or Baroque inspired. In comparism, the collection is almost spartan, devoid of any excess, and even when there is, it references another era entirely.

Weizdhurm F13 — The three dimensional trapezoid lucite blocks that embellish this dress references cubism, rather than Baroque era art.

Weizdhurm F12 — Same for this beading, which is extensive but not Baroque.

The editorial seems a last ditch effort to tie the collection to the idea of a Baroque era. The models, Melissa Devidal and Ogbewi Imade, are digitally transported to a steps of medieval cathedral, but again, the architecture is the wrong style from the wrong era. This doesn’t take away from the clothes though, at the end of the day. But it would be so much better, if Franklyn would appreciate his work for what it is, and not for what he thinks sounds buzzier.