Fashion

First Look At Paolo Sebastian’s Breathtaking 2015-16 Spring Summer Collection – The Nightingale

By Kelly Noble

Posted on July 2, 2015

Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for (well at least all the girls in the Glam Adelaide office!). The Paolo Sebastian Spring / Summer 2015 – 16 collection is finally here, and we’re beyond amazed.

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All photography by Simon Cecere

“The Nightingale sings a song so sweet and true, pale moonlight draped upon her shoulders.”

Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for (well at least all the girls in the Glam Adelaide office!)

The Paolo Sebastian Spring / Summer 2015 – 16 collection is finally here, and we’re beyond amazed. The Nightingale collection (oh what a delightful name) is inspired by folktales of the graceful nightingale whose song enchants all who hear it. The delicate nature of the songbird is reflected in a series of sheer gowns, exhibiting graceful silhouettes and intricate hand-embroidered detail. In tones of pewter, peony and copper, the garments feature ornate embroideries, hand-sketched by designer Paul Vasileff.

Ahead of this week’s launch, we spoke to Paul about how this collection came about.

Inspired by folktales of the graceful nightingale whose song enchants all that hear it, designer Paul Vasileff really wanted to push himself with the new collection.

“I really wanted to show what we are capable of. I sketched all of the embroideries myself and was so excited to push our craftsmanship into the next level. To me that is what couture is about,” Vasileff said.

What people may not realise, is that Paul actually maps out where every single bead, sequin and element of the design – making the work incredibly detailed (and time consuming!)

On the Nightingale theme:

‘”It sprang from the Nightingale story, and similar folktales of the time. They really intrigued me. They have a lovelorn, melancholy feel, but in the end love conquers all. Some of those stories were set in 1920s, which sparked my imagination and led to that vintage feel, the tassels.”

On the details:

The collection is all hand embroidered featuring Ombré and metallic fringing and delicate feather embellishment among other details.

“When I was doing the colour palate for this (the Illusion sleeved fishtail gown with nightingale embroidery) I saw a cabinet with a porcelain doll in it from the 1920s with tassels on its dress. The tassels went from purple to blue to pink which looked amazing so I actually took one of the tassels and had it colour matched.”

Tulle column gown with nightingale embroidery and ombré silk fringe

The tulle column gown with nightingale embroidery and ombré silk fringe is also incredible detailed, and takes months to make. This gown too was coloured matched to garments made in the 1920s.

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One piece in the collection is the silk fishtail gown with Sophie Hallette beaded lace cape.

“London/Paris-based lace designers – Sophie Hallette – sponsored us this season as they love working with young designers. We’re really lucky they chose us. They’re renowned for their amazing lace – Dolce & Gabbana & Louis Vuitton use it. Marilyn Monroe had a dress made from it. So did Kate Middleton (for her wedding dress). So we picked this particular lace and designed the cape around it to really showcase the workmanship. The cape imparts a regal presence and is a separate piece to the dress underneath, so you can wear it however you want.”

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On the ‘wearability’ of the sheer designs:

“Because our range is couture, each gown can be designed however our clients want them to be. So the very sheer designs can be lined, just in certain areas, or a full lining can be put in, or nothing at all. It’s all a matter of personal taste.”

On the collection photo shoot:

Vasilleff directed another dramatic outdoor shoot for the collection with photographer Simon Cecere, this time taking the crew and gowns to the Adelaide Hills.

“It was a little bit rainy on the day, and that added a great sense of drama to the location,” said Vasileff.

“The folk tales of the nightingale tell the story of this beautiful creature, with a sense of magic and a bit of a solemn ending.

The outdoor shoot really captured the mystery and drama that we wanted the collection to have.”

The Nightingale presents an old world charm, holding true to the signature Paolo Sebastian look, and we just can’t stop looking at the photos…