Influenced by the insights and beauty of designing for the aristocrats and a royal clientele, Bernard Chandran channeled inspiration from the joys to social expectations and confines of a royal princess in his recent tenth anniversary Petang Raya show. Evident in this collection, we see Bernard Chandran paying special homage to Her Majesty the Queen of Brunei’s regal style from her preferred floral silk prints headscarves to her bejeweled attire.
Breaking free from the restrictions of printed fabrics with their stereotyped usage and rigid outcomes, mixing many prints and colours in a single design was the order of the day. The real statement was the impact to the natural contrast of the many prints, whilst retaining an overall serenity and calm that is easy on the eyes. This twist is exciting, literally taking the dull moments out of an outfit, yet resulting in a super refined style, staying true to its original inspirations.
Apart from the interesting fabric combinations and fused colour palettes, the master of design and cut gave us a cohesive and glamourous collection that never failed to impress. Innovative easy silhouettes were further emblazoned with intricate beading, rich embellishments and eye-catching sequins whilst sophisticated cut skirts including one-sided back flipped and box pleated fluid trains that spread into a natural uplifting flare at the edges.
The style here is not simply throwing everything together but rather relies heavily on the building blocks of well thought out designs from colours and prints to cut and texture composition. The transitional look that bridges contemporary and traditional design is considered the quintessence of Bernard Chandran and paired with a deep rooted sense of constantly ‘pushing boundaries’, he has masterfully brought a contemporary edge to his royal inspiration, one of a luxury vision of mind-blowing modern sophistication.
Completing the looks, the runway was further bedazzled in opulent jewellery by Elegance Club, known for its lavish gem-encrusted designs and exquisite handbags by Kabinet, a luxury multi-brand retailer.
