The ephemeral nature of poetry makes words penetrate into concrete objects’ to give them a narrative soul. 

For 21 years Ann Demeulemesteer spred the subtle language of human emotions through her clothes, letting them speak words of melancholic beauty. After her departure announced last Fall, she consigned her brand’s legacy in the hands of long-time trusted collaborators Mirjam van den Akker, Patrick Van Ommeslaeghe and Sébastien Meunier. Shaped by the same romantic spirit that used to make living garments, complex and imperfectly beautiful as human beings are, the creative trio preserved the designer’s soft yet sharp voice, reverbering in the fluid deconstructed patterns of the “Ann Demeulemeester” AW1415 collection. Draped and folded the light fabrics wrapped the thin waists of powerful nymphs that elegantly walked under the ceiling of Couvent de Cordeliers in Paris. A golden shimmer broke the dark air sparkling from the men’s jackets, shirts and shoes like fireflies at night. The balance between long and short proportions, one of Demeulemesteer signature’s features, was perfectly achieved through a game of asymmetric cuts which harmoniously floated according to the body’s movements. Fragile and strong the monochromatic palette languidly imbued the delicate ‘textures, consuming itself against the bare skin veiled and unveiled by the caressing fabrics. Everything was carefully refined and stayed true to the brand’s essence, yet something crucial was missing: that silent magic which used to fill the eyes with enchanted wonder.

The poet is silent now, yet her graceful art praises her memory with a longing echo from the past.