Fashion Week begins with the arrival of Isabelle de Borchgrave.
Famous for her breathtaking museum collection of paper dresses painted in trompe l’oeil, Isabelle de Borchgrave–the acclaimed Belgian painter, is in town to showcase her latest designs at Bloomingdale’s. This is a unique opportunity to view in person a limited exhibit of her sculptures and artwork. The detailed silks, rich velvets and miniscule details are truly mesmerizing and are like magic to the eye.
In the 1970s, Isabelle de Borchgrave opened the Tour de Bébelle, her studio and shop in the Sablon quarter of Brussels, where hand-painted fabrics were to be found alongside canvases, pastels and paintings. In 1994, after visiting the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Isabelle de Borchgrave was deeply inspired by Yves Saint Laurent and set forth to tell her own illustrated history of fashion. She studied historical costumes and began to produce dresses using only two types of paper which she assembled, folded, crumpled and dyed to reproduce with precision various costumes telling the story of fashion, ranging from Marie-Antionette to modern day Chanel.
http://youtu.be/_1ya855kfpk
She produced 4 major collections: Papiers à la Mode narrates 300 years of history of fashion; Mariano Fortuny and the Venetian world of the 19th century; Medici brings us to the midst of the Italian Renaissance; Ballets Russes pay homage to Serge de Diaghilev, all in paper and reinforcing wires, dancing to a music of colour and contemporary design. These collections have been viewed by millions of visitors from around the world. Currently, Isabelle is working on a brand new collection of paper dresses that will be unveiled in the autumn of 2014: La Route de la Soie [Silk Road].
Villeroy & Boch is honored to have her as a special guest here in New York for Fashion Week. She will be at Bloomingdale’s on Thursday, September 12 for an unveiling of her latest creation for the home, Artesano Provencal. This designer dinnerware has the look of a lattice textile with delicate floral and fruit details in all the right places. This premium porcelain collection is produced in Germany by Villeroy & Boch and is the latest in fashion statements for the home. We love the lure of worldly travels that Isabelle has brought to this design and can’t help but imagine this charming set in our everyday lives. We hope that you will get a chance to view our latest dinnerware collaboration with Isabelle de Borchgrave and get a chance to see the exhibit of her paper creations which will be on display through September 30 at Bloomingdale’s, 59th Street in New York City. To meet Isabelle de Borchgrave in person, join us for a reception on September 12 from 6–8pm on the 6th floor in the Tabletop department. You will also be able purchase a piece from the dinnerware collection and have it signed by the artist. We hope to see you there!
