Plastics & Haute couture: the Courrèges label
André Courrèges founded his fashion house, in Paris, in 1961. Three years later, the creator unveiled the "Moon Girl" collection, characterised by its silvery materials inspired by the stars, its parachute trench coats and its PVC boots. The futuristic style of the creations was a revolution in the fashion world: the "Courrèges bomb", as it was called by the era's fashion magazines. In 1965, the New York Times ran the title "the controversial couturier who put women in trouser suits, white boots and above-the-knee skirts". The Courrèges style put the final nail in the coffin of the post-war silhouette by opening up the world of haute couture to pop culture.
His collection consisted of a series of items that comprehensively reformed the wardrobes of the 1960s women: dominant white colour, geometric lines, architectural models, flat shoes, trapezoid skirts that free up the hips and show off the legs above the knee; it evoked the futuristic look of a modern woman, which counted Jacqueline Kennedy among its ranks. In the midst of a revolution of mores, this new generation of clothing further freed women's bodies with its simple cuts and airy materials. It signalled a conscious decision to move towards avant-garde fashion, halfway between haute couture and prêt-à-porter.
Thanks to Courrèges, plastics became noble materials, and he made vinyl, his favourite material, a staple in the wardrobes of women "of the times": short jacket in pop colours, orange trench coat, full PVC outfits, and more. "Tomorrow's fashion must be functional, feminine, and aesthetically-pleasing, and the material must be a second skin". His creations were widely copied, even in the United States where they became extremely successful.
Today, over fifty years later, the new collections continue to combine fashion, design and contemporary art, a symbol of the famous and timeless Courrèges style.
FROM PLASTICARIUM COLLECTION, ADAM (BRUSSELS)
