With transparency and visible lingerie shaping up as a couple of Spring s biggest trends, An Vandevorst and Filip Arickx are, for better or worse, in their element. They didn t invent innerwear as outerwear—that somewhat dubious honor probably goes to Madonna and Jean Paul Gaultier—but it is a significant aspect of their oeuvre, and tonight they worked it like nobody s business. Pausing at a wind machine at the back of the runway, the models sheer, blousy nude shirtdresses and slips fell off one shoulder to expose the body casts they wore underneath, while flesh-toned stockings left their briefs visible. The casts, which were bolted, not sewn, together from stiff, papery fabric, gave structure to the collection s soft, floaty fabrics, but they were a strange motif: You wondered what place, if any, there is for them in real life. The way the models pants were stuffed into the tops of sheer hose was a bit of a puzzle, too. Why hide your work? From a two-tone wrap trench with a trio of substantial leather belts to a soigné blue chiffon blazer tucked into a narrow pencil skirt, there were some timely pieces on the runway. Unfortunately, they were mostly obscured by heavy-handed styling tricks.
