In the half-light, hidden behind her glitzy Venetian mask, she suddenly emerges from inside an old wooden wardrobe. She’s the first one there. Wide-eyed, she scans the room and tries to be discreet in spite of the incredible accessory she’s wearing. She’s found the ideal seat to observe the scene and be seen. The runway can continue. Women with mindboggling figures enter the room. Laughing in the face of sobriety and decorum, they make themselves at home inside the discreet and intimate boudoir. It’s the meeting place for luxury creatures of the night. Welcome to the eccentric and mysterious world of the courtesans. In his fall-winter 2021 collection, presented online during Paris Fashion Week in March, Victor Weinsanto and his namesake clothing line take us back in time to the Royal Court. The runway, called The Courtesans, is midway between references to the past and a futuristic vision. According to Victor Weinsanto, “courtesans were women who lived in the shadows, the real mistresses of the game.” Here, women are free and dominant. They wear black, pink and blue. The elasticated fabrics are figure-hugging yet comfortable and the contrasts in texture are sublime, juxtaposing pearls, velour and floral print. Handbags are structured in diamond-like shapes, jutting shards like sharpened nails. Hair froths like tulle, dresses styled like hair. The use of human hair instead of animal fur is an innovative alternative and part of the young designer’s ethical and environmentally friendly approach. The collection is a perfect combination of glamour and street style, boldly breaking away from the shackles of convention. To crown it all, the courtesans’ extravagant headpieces morph from the angular to the voluptuous: whether sporting an aerodynamic wig, a giant strawberry or a pointed turban, the face is accentuated by the colorful headwear. The virtual presentation (a new and inescapable format right now) means that the models can be filmed in the different rooms. They stride through the palace, slope down to its gloomy cellars and stalk up its staircases bathed in light. Walking, dancing, skipping, chilling, meeting one another. This runway is a festive gathering of powerful women who, in the end of all, are only too happy to strike a pose while sipping champagne.
text MATHIAS QUINTON
victor weinsanto fall-winter 2021 — video
