Designers are shifting their focus from overt exposure to an aura of sublime allure. For Pre-Fall 2023, Bach Mai delves into this trend, drawing inspiration from fashion titans like Christobal Balenciaga and Madeleine Vionnet. Mai keeps his collection dynamic by introducing fresh elements each season.
His signature voluminous dresses, recognized for their asymmetrical design, underwent a transformation this season. They’ve been reimagined to be lighter in both substance and appearance—constructed with reduced support materials and draped in translucent fabrics. These dresses elegantly overlay lingerie-inspired pieces or slender skirts.
After his stint with Galliano, Mai has revisited the art of bias-cut tailoring, creating dresses that seem as ethereal as shadows. Many are crafted from a single spiraling fabric piece, occasionally accented with straps.
The dresses rendered in black jacquard velvet over chiffon conjure a gothic ambiance. Conversely, his “live plaid” dresses, reminiscent of Lino Tagliapietra’s intricate glasswork, showcase an optical play with overlaid bias-cut stripes, creating an illusion of intersecting patterns.
Mai’s collection also drew from “The Tudors” exhibition at the Met, leading him to conceive Elizabethan-inspired corset tops. More abstract were pieces echoing Henry VIII’s robust posture—like a pearl-adorned mini cape paired with extended side-snap shorts. Such audacious proportions coexist in this collection with more conventionally appealing designs, such as the corset tops.
