Mary Katrantzou: de-codes Minoan figure
For New Classical SS17 Mary Katrantzou looked introspectively to Greece, the country of her birth. Exploring its rich history, mythology and culture, she dug deep into her own work. This collection is an archaeological exploration, unearthing the classics of Katrantzou.
The ancient civilization of the Minoans gave initial inspiration. Their culture, as we experience it through their artefacts, is dominated by the female. Feminine deities proliferated, women priests officiated; taking center stage on Minoan frescos, intricately fashioned and decorated.
New Classical De-codes Minoan figure
The Minoans surrender inspiration from their frescos, the specific giving way to more abstract interpretations of the ‘Greco’.
The earliest European civilization made the earliest fashion statement and Mary Katrantzou reinforces this within the collection. Re-embracing silhouettes and techniques she made her signature, the peplum echoes the curvaceous lines of the women of Minoan’s ‘matriarchal religion’, given a new fluidity. Embroideries emerge in her interpretation of Minoan women and their artefacts, intricately beaded and highlighted in Swarovski.
The Minoan style in frescos was influential both with contemporary cultures such as in the Cyclades and with later cultures, especially the Mycenaean, albeit with slightly different subject matter such as shields and other martial paraphernalia and perhaps with a lesser importance given to natural landscapes as seen on Minoan frescoes. Popular scenes for frescoes were of rituals, processions, festivals, ceremonies and bull sports.
Colors employed were black (carbonaceous shale), red (hematite), white (hydrate of lime), yellow (ochre), blue (silicate of copper), and green (blue and yellow mixed).
New Classical De-codes Minoan figure
