Victor de Souza is an artist. You’ll see it in the image he projects, with his soft-spoken demeanor and Yves Saint Laurent-esque eyewear. More importantly, of course, you will also see it in his work. It’s refreshing when a designer seems to eschew the most obvious commercial considerations (How will my dresses be received on the red carpet?), because doing so tends to open up much more exciting possibilities. See Rihanna’s sleeve on the cover of Vogue Italia’s September 2009 Extreme Couture supplement for one example, or Coco Rocha at an event last January for another.
So with this in mind, it was quite a surprise to see Victor’s softer side in his Fall/Winter 2011 fashion week runway show. The collection had literal avian inspirations, but don’t think Black Swan. The funny thing about birds is how when seen one way, they are the most beautiful and graceful creatures of all. Seen another, they’re these awkward, squawking animals. VdS drew most of his inspiration from the beautiful side, it’s true, but you can tell he never forgot about that alternate interpretation.
