Iris Van Herpen's Lockdown Showpiece

It’s fair to say that Iris van Herpen’s couture dresses — with their inimitable melding of scientific inspiration, painstaking craftsmanship and poetry — are not the easiest things to wear or to describe.

The one she created for her fall couture film, dubbed the Transmotion dress, is no exception, anchored by an intricate lattice of black branches — laser-cut and hand-stitched in duchess satin — that erupt into flower-like sprays of white silk organza petals, the edges crimped and undulating. What’s more, the bodice and hem sprout delicate, transparent filaments that end in seed-like black crystals. They orbit the dress and have a life of their own.

Given the lockdown, the designer decided not to do a full collection, instead, she embraced change and collaborated with people that inspire her. That’s simple to understand. Together, they created a brief but poignant moment until couture resumes its normal runway life.

“This film project is literally the seed of a new beginning and new collection that we are creating now in the atelier for our January show,” she said.