Eugene Lin’s AW 2013 collection “Cupid de Locke” continues the story of the “Judgement of Paris” which was the title and inspiration behind his SS 2013 collection.The Greek myth tells the story of how Eris, the goddess of discord, tried to ruin a wedding she hadn't been invited to by throwing the “apple of discord” into the party. The apple, inscribed “to the fairest one”, sparked an argument between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite as to who should get the apple, and Zeus was called on to choose. Not wanting to show favoritism Zeus gave the responsibility to the mortal Trojan named Paris to judge the beauties. Aphrodite wins Paris’ affections by promising him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Troy. She does this by sending her son Cupid to Troy where his arrow causes Helen to fall in love with the first man he sees, Paris. The myth has been inspiration for countless classical artists, and Eugene Lin continues this tradition, modernising the message of “the violence of love and the fragility of it all” in a 21st century context.
Instead of arrows, this violence is represented with bullets (in the form of gold rivets and print) and digitalised smashed glass. As well as violence and fragility, “Cupid style” love is subtly present in the collection in the form of sweet heart neck lines and deep rose red.
Despite its inspiration, the collection is surprisingly wearable, mainly consisting of well-fitting dresses, legging, and trench coats. Silhouettes are simple with clinched waists and pencil skirts falling just above the knee. Unlike many other designers we have seen in LFW AW13, Lin keeps shoulders simple, focusing instead on oversized coat collars, which come both attached and independent from trench coats.Using a rich and autumnal colour palette of burgundy, gold, black and deep greys, Lin’s collection shows the passion and lust of love, as well as its dark side. One of the most original parts of the collection is the restructuring of trench coats to make dresses and corsets. In the photo above the soft heart shaped neck line is reflected and contrasted by the angular points of the corset’s hem. This piece encapsulates the essence of the collection, using structure and style to show the two sides of love.
The inspiring titles of Lin’s collections also lead us to think about our roles as the spectators of fashion. Are we the mortals called upon to judge the divine?
Written By Emma Sorrell
For more Information www.eugene-lin.com
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