If Peter Do's collection for Helmut Lang in New York was about protection, his presentation in Paris for his own label projected a different vibe: poetic. The outfits were displayed in a showroom against a backdrop of soft piano music, while iPads on the walls showed models walking around in the looks.
“I wanted to dedicate a collection to my late grandmother, who passed away a year and a half ago from COVID-19,” Do explained.
The designer returned to his native Vietnam last year while editing A Magazine Curated By and visited his grave. “I was thinking a lot about what she taught me as a child: perseverance, hard work and strength.”
Central to the collection were matching dresses over pants, some in striking black or ivory velvet devoré with rough brushstroke patterns. They were inspired by Vietnam's national garment, the áo dài, which typically consists of a long divided tunic worn over silk pants.
This fluid quality extended to the rest of the collection, which featured her signature multi-layered looks, ranging from barely-buttoned shirts worn with knotted skirts over pants and tie-front jackets or coats, to convertible dresses with sheer, flowing skirts that They could be used in multiple ways. .
Oversized suit jackets came with split, button-lined sleeves, in traditional materials like black tuxedo satin or more surprising variations, like an all-knit gray fabric. For the evening, Do offered black dresses with a retro flavor or floor-length jacquard knit dresses with brushstroke motifs reminiscent of concrete.
“I paint when I'm stressed,” he explained. “This is actually done digitally on the way to work, sometimes on my iPad.”
If juggling two labels, plus side projects like his recent collaboration with Banana Republic, has left Do feeling a little burned out, he hasn't shown it.
Although he expressed mixed feelings about returning to his homeland for the second time since immigrating to the United States in 2004, connecting with his ancestor seemed to have a grounding effect.
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