Haider Ackermann - Spring/Summer 2011

There are some designers who, over the seasons, discreetly become more powerful before suddenly revealing the entire range of their talent. Haider Ackermann is one of them. The Colombian creator - on whom the Antwerp 6 have nothing when it comes to the art of deconstruction - is currently wowing the fashion world with his deliciously modern and admirably sexy approach to the feminine wardrobe.

On Ackermann's catwalk, the snug zipped leathers and other dark, winter sheaths made way for a finely mastered looseness with an Asian feel.

Ackermann makes references to the Samurai as well as the Geisha: long, full pleated skirts and kimono jackets with obis are reinterpreted in a collection that honors the majesty of the Japanese people.

By mixing his own vision of tailoring with influences from abroad, Ackermann produces a paradox of structured looseness that is renewing the notion of chic.

The evening wear ensembles (some with majestically low cut backs that bring to mind the obi knot), sometimes paired with masculine leather, created looks overflowing with sensuality, who take their strength from the contrast of materials. As for the colors, they are deep, going from cobalt blue to coral rouge to emerald green, and render sublime the black that accompanies them.

Between the hybrid jackets, with their ties to the kimono as well as to the smoking, worn languorously off the shoulder, bare-backed jumpsuits boosted with an asymmetric, Japanese-feel cape, and ultra sexy sheath dresses held together only by a few ties, Ackermann delivers a collection whose elegance is equaled only by his uncluttered, Zen sophistication.

Click here to view the entire collection: http://www.style.com/S2011RTW-HACKERMAN