Corrie Nielsen Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

Dipping into a dark Victorian mood for spring/summer 2012, Corrie Nielsen plays on duplicity by pulling the collection into modernity and incorporating a present day Japanese twist. Her latest offering is entitled, Arbiter Elegantiarum - a judge or authority in matters of taste.

Oscar Wilde’s gothic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, serves as inspiration and Corrie explores abstract concepts of influence, embracing the late Nineteenth Century men's tailored dress, fusing it with a contemporary Japanese aesthetic. Fans of Corrie will not be disappointed as grand folded structures and meticulous pleating create an expanse of architectural shapes executed in great swathes of sumptuous fabrics. Fragments of chartreuse are scattered throughout the restrained colour palette, which in Corrie’s trademark, is refined and elegant.

Fascinated by form and design from young age as the daughter of a prominent American sculptor, London-based Corrie Nielsen obtained a First Class BA Honours degree in Fashion Design Womenswear from Central Saint Martins and worked in bespoke tailoring and quenched her thirst for fashion for six years at Vivienne Westwood before launching her own label. She was chosen by John Galliano as winner of Fashion Fringe in 2010 with a collection featuring whimsy and romance inspired by 18th century illustrators James Gillray and George Cruikshank who mocked the vulgarity of the social, political and royal behaviour of the British and French.

Corrie debuted her first solo catwalk show in February of 2011 for the autumn/winter 2011 season on-schedule at Somerset House. The collection drew inspiration from two different periods in the history of dress: The Elizabethan period and 1940’s/1950’s French-inspired haute couture. Lauded in the press throughout the globe, Corrie Nielsen has been featured in top print and digital media throughout the Americas, East Asia and Europe. She has been described as and fulfils the role of modern couturier and true fashion visionary.

Photography by Christopher Dadey