Biyan's S/S 2013 Collection: Edwardian Grace Revisited

Biyan S/S 2013, Biyan.com

Biyan Wanaatmadja is Indonesia's most successful fashion designer to date.  He was born in Surabaya, Indonesia and studied fashion design in Germany and England where he graduated from the prestigious London College of Fashion.

Biyan's designs are characterized by elegant tailoring, luxurious fabrications, intricate embroidery, and expressive prints.  His collections consistently create a statement of feminine beauty and movement that is both timeless and transcendent...spanning cultural, social, and philosophical definitions of yin.

---

Click on the video link and learn more about Biyan's design philosophy and see his designs in action, in movement, on the catwalk.

Biyan S/S 2013, Biyan.com

Biyan S/S 2013, Biyan.com

So admittedly, Biyan's S/S 2013 collection is beautiful in its own right.  The collection is a wispy dream of gentle pastel colors, impassioned florals, exquisite, sparkling hand-beading that twinkles and winks, catching the light with every slight movement from the wearer...truly a vision of beauty that walks in the night and emerges in the midst of daydreams.  

The collection's Edwardian homage is apparent in every element used to describe its loveliness...light, flowy silk fabrics, intricate hand-beading, floral embroideries, and soft pastels.

---

Photo still, Downton Abbey

I was instantly struck by the luxe romanticism of Biyan's S/S 2013 collection and my mind stopped...as I had an intermingled moment of excitement and "deja vu".  Biyan's collection felt new to me due to its blatant and unapologetic homage to the romantic, demure female of a time lost and its fearless belief that this female still could and "should" exist in today's liberated, but maybe not sooo free, cultural and political society.  

And yet, it did indeed remind me of time gone by; a time when high society took leisurely strolls along the promenade, long summer afternoons spent enjoying croquet or lawn tennis, or mingling, parasol in hand, at garden parties.

Although, the femininity of women is emphasized during this time period, it is also the dawning of the women's suffrage movement, moving on the cusp of the Flapper era of the 1920s.

---

Edwardian Tea Gown, hand-embroidered, beaded, circa 1910, http://www.vintagetextile.com/gallery_edwardian.htm

Velvet evening dress, circa 1910, http://pinterest.com/gaia58/elegance-extremity-the-edwardian-age-1901-1913/

1907 Emerald green silk satin evening gown with jet beading by San Fransisco designer McGrath, circa 1907, http://pinterest.com/gaia58/elegance-extremity-the-edwardian-age-1901-1913/

During the Edwardian period, the popular women's silhouette was the hour-glass figure (can I get a shout-out to the curvy girls:)?).  As women became more involved in sports, clothing became lighter in construction and materials, hence the popular lingerie and tea dresses.  Same as seen in Biyan's S/S 2013 collection, women's fashions were heavily influenced by the Art Nouveau movement which emphasized the use of natural forms and structures, incorporating flowers, plants, and curved lines in designs.

---

Detail of Art Nouveau influences in Edwardian dress.

Black cotton velvet and silk Chantilly Lace gown, circa 1910, http://pinterest.com/gaia58/elegance-extremity-the-edwardian-age-1901-1913/

Biyan, S/S 2013, Biyan.com

Three poses of the Gibson Girl, Charles Dana Gibson

I think it's interesting to note that although the feminine was emphasized in shape and form during the Edwardian time period, this is the same era where women gained more confidence to enter the workforce and push for women's rights reforms.  Dubbed the New Woman and popularized as The Gibson Girl, these women sought their independence by pursuing education and careers...so, maybe Biyan's exquisite vision of the beautiful, romantic, womanly butterfly cannot just exist, but thrive in today's society.  A woman's strength can be ephemeral, soft, light as well as exude boldness, energy, and grace. What do you think? Please share your thoughts as I would love to hear your thoughts about the Biyan S/S 2013 collection and/or my interpretation of the collection.

---

So, now I'm a huge fan of Pinterest...great resource for visual images, inspiration, and trends...if you haven't already...JOIN! Wikipedia rules too...just be sure to read multiple sources and books are still great for information:).

Fashion Freelance Works! Find out how I can work for you by submitting your contact information on this website.