Talbot Runhof Ready To Wear Spring Summer 2013 Paris

Johnny Talbot and Adrian Runhof are celebrating 20 years of work this year and an upcoming shop opening in Paris, their first one. Twenty years in which the German designers have tried to add some German “Jawohl!” to the French “Oh la la” and were sometimes successful, some other times not that much.

“The initial influence for spring/summer 2013 had actually been Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre's photos of the ruins of Detroit,” read the press release. And we did indeed find a Detroit tectonic attitude in the enhancing electro beats that set the tone of the show's soundtrack, underlining the bold geometric patterns of the two-tone bodicon dresses in royal and navy blue, black and white, made out of stretch satin and crepe, with eye-catching detailing, such as bare backs and integrated capes that provided a certain volume to the silhouette, which counterbalanced the tightly fitted shape of the block cocktail dresses.

“We looked for inspiration in the archive of our past 20 years,” explains Adrian Runhof backstage. “It was all about the magic of pattern-making and construction, so we tried to push new boundaries with the help of geometric constructions.”

Moreover, both designers opted for a cheekier and desirable version of bodicons, with ivory and black wool piqué dresses, two-tone faux bustier dresses and girly cotton macramé lace that adorned slender ivory gowns. An iridescent cotton faille peplum dress with constructed volume in the front, as well as a sculpted mesh top and laser-cut hologram detailing added an audacious and experimental touch to the collection.

So far, so good, the designer-duo definitely succeeded in turning their signature draping into soft geometries this season, if it wasn't for the exaggerated use of metallic and golden sequins and the final mermaid dress with a heavily sculpted mesh gown, that pushed the boundaries a bit too far, unfortunately leaving Detroit for Dubai.

- Elisabeta Tudor