Saturday, July 25, 2015

Anna K 2015-Little Match Girl

The Fall 2015 line of Anna K uses a refreshing fairy tale as inspiration, Andersen's "The Little Match Girl."

Only one look makes the fairy tale obvious (the title is written on the front of the garment; another one features a match print), but I can see the connection in subtle ways. The set and first look (above) are very wintery; the collection over all is very young, and some of the looks seem to have a "tattered rags" inspiration. View the full collection here.

Anna K's website gives us more insight into translating the fairy tale into fashion:
"To create Pre-Fall 2015 collection Anna K was inspired by her favorite fairy-tale by Hans Christian Andersen, “The Little Match Girl”. The collection is symbolically divided into two main parts: complicated designs, multilayered coats, soft-down jackets and warm knit sweaters in dark palette of blue and green colors narrate the tragic beginning of the fairy-tale about poor girl, who was frozen on Christmas Eve. The second part of collection flashes like the matches lights: trapeze dresses, silky tops with bows, flared skirts, variety of buttons, bright prints and embroidery – everything mirrors the imaginary, fragile world of little match girl. Bow in various forms and applications became the central element of the collection: it is used not only as a decoration, but also as a separate garment. Sweet idea of the collection embodied in the high-quality woolen coats, cotton skirts, silky dresses and knitted sweaters takes us into the dreamy Anna K world."


By the way, Anna K herself is only 19 years old, and began designing at 16.

2 comments:

  1. I don't wish to be disparaging of a young designer who will, I have no doubt, go on to do very well, but I find something rather sad about using a story about a homeless child to design clothes for wealthy women to wear. :-(

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    1. Hmm-you bring up a really good discussion point I hadn't thought of. Is this whole idea insensitive? There's definitely an irony in using a story about a poor, dying homeless child to make luxuries. I think, being a fairy tale, the subject matter didn't bother me. First of all, I just love seeing fairy tales translated into fashion but get tired of the same ones (Cinderella, Little Red, and others with obvious fashion connections). I also wasn't bothered by Red Valentino's Fall 2013 Ready To Wear Line (http://talesoffaerie.blogspot.com/2015/03/red-valentinos-fairy-tale-themed.html) that drew inspiration from Hansel and Gretel-those poor, starving orphans are often used in advertising to sell all sorts of expensive items.

      I also really liked the fact that Anna K had clearly thought about the fairy tale and how to translate the themes into clothing; I see the line as art, but forget it's also a business-the fashion world is really a combination of both. There are so many other clothing lines that claim to have fairy tales as inspiration but it's only very vague.

      I'd love to hear what other people think?

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