"VAMPIRE" fashions in black leather - suitable for day or night - stole the show at the graduation gala of the Raffles Design Institute Shanghai. Anything but a horror show, it also featured designs inspired by the Bund and Xintiandi. Michelle Zhang takes a bite.
Zhou Yifan thinks vampires are cool. For years, the 22-year-old designer has been researching the mythological creatures and the Gothic fashions she associations with the blood-sucking demons.
A graduate of Raffles Design Institute Shanghai, she won first prize in the school's recent graduation show. She called her eight-piece collection "Vampire."
"I was interested in vampires long before the huge success of the 'Twilight' series," says the native of Hunan Province. "To me they are not scary at all but mysterious, aesthetic and classic."
More than 20 students displayed their works at the graduation show held in Pudong's Super Brand Mall packed with enthusiastic fashion students, their parents, industry insiders and the press.
Zhou's clothes are both creative and practical.
"I kept in mind that vampires have two lifestyles - one at night and the other during the day," she says.
"At night, they go to glamorous parties so I have created costumes with exaggerated details. However, during the day they need to look more normal. That's why most of those details can be removed."
For example, when ruffles and floral adornments were removed from the neck and cuffs, a fancy evening gown returned to its original look as a well-tailored leather dress.
Zhou used mainly black, as did many fellow students, and she mixed it with earth tones.
"Vampires often appear in the forests, and the brown hues remind people of the falling leaves," she says.
Her collection includes a strapless cocktail dress, long and short coats in asymmetrical cuts, leather pants and a bizarre hat.
"I hope the clothes will make women feel independent and powerful," she adds.
Besides black, structured silhouettes, pleated details and defined shoulders were the most popular elements in the show.
One collection was inspired by "The Wizard of Oz," featuring odd pieces in different shades of green. The models seemed transported from the recent silver screen offering "Alice in Wonderland."
Another collection titled "The Bund" of elegant dresses and coats in sharp, structured silhouettes was said to have drawn inspiration directly from the architectural styles along the Bund.
Also on display that night were the Shanghai Pavilion uniforms designed by students at Raffles Design Institute Shanghai.
The uniforms were designed to carry on the pavilion theme "Forever Xintiandi" and the city's famous shikumen architecture. Shikumen, or "stone-gated house," is an Eastern/Western fusion style of houses that prevailed in the city early last century. Today some can still be found in Xintiandi, a popular tourist spot.
The 24 student designers in the show spent nine months creating eight outfits, including women's executive dress suits in gray and blue and men's uniforms in light and dark gray.
"We'd like to create a collection that incorporates both Eastern and Western elements," says Li Chuan, one of the student designers.
"Exquisite details inspired by the engraving patterns on the Xintiandi houses, such as hand embroideries, were applied to the clothes crafted in Western silhouettes," she says. "We have also designed wristbands and scarves in similar patterns for the women's suits to add a feminine touch.
Zhou Yifan thinks vampires are cool. For years, the 22-year-old designer has been researching the mythological creatures and the Gothic fashions she associations with the blood-sucking demons.
A graduate of Raffles Design Institute Shanghai, she won first prize in the school's recent graduation show. She called her eight-piece collection "Vampire."
"I was interested in vampires long before the huge success of the 'Twilight' series," says the native of Hunan Province. "To me they are not scary at all but mysterious, aesthetic and classic."
More than 20 students displayed their works at the graduation show held in Pudong's Super Brand Mall packed with enthusiastic fashion students, their parents, industry insiders and the press.
Zhou's clothes are both creative and practical.
"I kept in mind that vampires have two lifestyles - one at night and the other during the day," she says.
"At night, they go to glamorous parties so I have created costumes with exaggerated details. However, during the day they need to look more normal. That's why most of those details can be removed."
For example, when ruffles and floral adornments were removed from the neck and cuffs, a fancy evening gown returned to its original look as a well-tailored leather dress.
Zhou used mainly black, as did many fellow students, and she mixed it with earth tones.
"Vampires often appear in the forests, and the brown hues remind people of the falling leaves," she says.
Her collection includes a strapless cocktail dress, long and short coats in asymmetrical cuts, leather pants and a bizarre hat.
"I hope the clothes will make women feel independent and powerful," she adds.
Besides black, structured silhouettes, pleated details and defined shoulders were the most popular elements in the show.
One collection was inspired by "The Wizard of Oz," featuring odd pieces in different shades of green. The models seemed transported from the recent silver screen offering "Alice in Wonderland."
Another collection titled "The Bund" of elegant dresses and coats in sharp, structured silhouettes was said to have drawn inspiration directly from the architectural styles along the Bund.
Also on display that night were the Shanghai Pavilion uniforms designed by students at Raffles Design Institute Shanghai.
The uniforms were designed to carry on the pavilion theme "Forever Xintiandi" and the city's famous shikumen architecture. Shikumen, or "stone-gated house," is an Eastern/Western fusion style of houses that prevailed in the city early last century. Today some can still be found in Xintiandi, a popular tourist spot.
The 24 student designers in the show spent nine months creating eight outfits, including women's executive dress suits in gray and blue and men's uniforms in light and dark gray.
"We'd like to create a collection that incorporates both Eastern and Western elements," says Li Chuan, one of the student designers.
"Exquisite details inspired by the engraving patterns on the Xintiandi houses, such as hand embroideries, were applied to the clothes crafted in Western silhouettes," she says. "We have also designed wristbands and scarves in similar patterns for the women's suits to add a feminine touch.
