The Brazilian designer Sandro Barros in his Autumn-Winter 2021/22 has presented during the Arab Fashioin Week a tribute to Wong Kar-Wai. Sandro Barros looked at the influence of Chinese culture in Hollywood films of the 1930s for his collection of Haute Couture dresses.
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The aesthetics of filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai in the film “In The Mood For Love” and the costumes of Marlene Dietrich in the classic 'Shanghai Express' and actress Anna May Wong, the first descendant of Asians to be successful in American movies, served as inspiration for hand-embroidered dresses. “Anna May Wong overcame racism in Hollywood and stood out for her talent. Before her, the directors used to cast white actresses who imitated the Chinese, so she really was a pioneer, in addition to having a very glamorous behavior in real life”, says Sandro.
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The collection features 30 exclusive dresses made with classic fabrics and traditional French haute couture techniques, many embroidered with silk thread, fringes, and embroidered with mixtures of Swarovski crystals and colored glassware created from porcelain designs, carpets, and walls of Chinese palaces. The color contrasts are quite pronounced: navy blue with beige, cherry with gold, nude with orange, caramel with pink and green. The silhouette is very languid, in column dresses in a bias like the 1930s.
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A "must have" of the collection is certainly the bolero with a high collar and richly structured, embroidered with aquamarine, silver, and turquoise crystals with chrysanthemum designs, and that is combined with sky-blue silk crepe pantaloons. The photos and film of the campaign were taken by the photographer and director Peu Campos in a cinematic atmosphere, narrating a love story spiced with the five Chinese perfumes, whiskey, and aromas of jasmine, cinnamon, and pepper.
