Say the name Olivier Theyskens to the fashion-obsessed, and they swoon, crumpled under visions of strict-yet-frothy gowns that have begun to dance in their heads. They’d better bear up. Today Theyskens announced his impending return. Throughout his career, the Belgian designer has established a signature look: peaked shoulders, corseted waists, bold hips, and either a flowing train of ruffles or the skinniest trousers you’ve ever imagined. He found fans in Madonna, who wore a piece from his first collection for his namesake brand to the 1998 Academy Awards; Kirsten Dunst; Nicole Kidman; and Vogue’s own Lauren Santo Domingo, who commissioned Theyskens to design a stunning wedding dress—and then famously had him cut it into a miniskirt mid-party.
Theyskens’s personal vision of femininity has run though each of his professional ventures—at Theyskens Theory, Nina Ricci, Rochas, and the namesake label he founded immediately after dropping out of Belgium’s La Cambre in Brussels. It’s the latter he’s reviving this summer, with the help from a new business partner. Based in Paris, the house will produce two collections a year for Spring and Fall, giving us a little something extra to look forward to at this September s Paris Fashion Week—which is already shaping up to be quite the event, with Maria Grazia Chiuri’s first Dior collection, Pierpaolo Piccioli’s first collection as solo creative director of Valentino, and Bouchra Jarrar’s debut at Lanvin.
To prepare for Theyskens’s comeback, take a walk down memory lane with our favorite runway looks from his career to date.