cotonblanc: The creations of this Berlin-born designer fulfil a seemingly paradoxical dual function, providing psychological protection while spotlighting the individual. Without compromising modesty, they reveal the beauty of the body and lend confidence to a straightforward, nearly aggressive femininity. Darja Richter accomplishes these twin objectives both in the shapes of her dresses, with their daring cut-outs, and in her unusual, non-mass-produced materials, whose development is the impetus behind her collections. In her “Skingames” collection of 1996, the flesh-coloured skin of her dress, which seems to substitute for that of the body, is made up of subtle blends of solid or impalpable textures. The effect would place it in the lace family, but the “see-through” spaces are formed by stretching and tearing of matted raised fabrics caught in a net of fine gauze and tulle. An ANDAM fellowship granted in 1997 enabled her to pursue her textile research, resulting in the creation of a layering of lace, tulle, and wool for her collection “A Midsummer Night’s Chain Thing”. With this ethereal, gossamer webbing held together by the addition of wool, Richter dresses the body and lays it bare at the same time. A fine mesh of metal chains span the eye-catching décolleté necklines. It is easy to understand why Darja Richter has often been chosen to do actresses’ wardrobes. After working with Koji Tatsuno on the costume designs for Peter Greenaway’s film “The Pillow Book”, she created the dresses worn by Marie Laforêt and Julie Delpy and Enki Bilal’s “Tykho Moon” and the costumes for “Gierig” by the young German director Oskar Roehler. As a high priestess of sensual fashion, Richter approaches her work as a theoretical reflection on the symbolism inherent in the garment. After early studies in psychology and philosophy, she graduated from the Berlin School of the Fine Arts with a thesis on the language of clothing in the nineteen-eighties. In 1992, this “designer-expressionist” received a grant from the German University Exchange Office to undertake artistic and theoretical work on the theme of voyeurism. This financial aid enabled her to move to Paris, where she began working as a stylist for Martine Sitbon. In 1996, the German Ministry of the Economy subsidised her first fashion show in Paris, entitled “Invasion of the Weenie Hunters”.  Long dress with train made of hand-made black wool and tulle, neckline held by fine metal chains.Darja Richter (1997)  ANDAM: La Mode Contemporaine, STEIDLtext florence müller photography ola bergengren styling mattias karlsson
eternaldiscord: AYA TAKANO

(BUDAE CHIGAE NEAR THE GI JI CHEON / “GARBAGE” STEW NEAR THE PROSTITUTION CAMPTOWN)

 

 “You’ll be taken first.”                     (This girl is a classic beauty.)

“And you look like a minister.”         (This man has a kind face.)

“You look like a fox.”                       (I am a female ghost, a demon.)

Laugh, laugh—gold chain, and cigarette.

At least I am not the egg ghost, the woman whose face is entirely blank.

At least I am not the maiden, buried before she could become a woman.

At least I am not the bone who was the maiden, waiting to be shown his finest treasure.

To be pissed on, to be brought to life. This folk tale.

The steam cleans my fox face. The stew smells like ham, ”hemul,” and a boy’s salt-stained neck.