A.F. Vandevorst
REVIEW
COMPLETE COLLECTION
PARIS, February 28, 2005
By
When Filip Arickx and An Vandevorst played to their strengths—delicate lingerie, smart tailoring, soft fabrics contrasted with stiff ones—their fall collection was great. They got off to a fine start with a camel group: a wrap coat, a full skirt, a backless fur gilet, and cozy cable sweaters that looked just right on the ice (the show was presented on a skating rink).Where the A.F. Vandevorst designers stumbled was in the middle. It's hard to picture their customer, a romantic tomboy of Belgian extraction, going for garish patterns or having much need for to-the-floor frocks. So a series of seventies-era tapestry prints was something of a misstep, especially one long halter dress suspended by a strand of faux pearls. The look worked somewhat better later in the presentation in black, but it didn't have the swing of a jet silk cocktail dress with lace at the neckline and hem, or a gray wrap skirt fastened with an oversize safety pin and worn with a simple black crew neck.
Many of the pieces were accessorized with furry boots and Mickey Mouse ears. The former looked spunky, but the latter seemed little more than a silly distraction.
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