Mary Katrantzou - Queen Of Prints

INSPIRATIONAL MOOD BOARDS

GREEK-BORN DESIGNER MARY KATRANTZOU CAME LATE INTO FASHION.
WITH ROOTS IN ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN (HER FATHER IS A TEXTILE DESIGNER AND HER MOTHER IS AN INTERIOR DESIGNER) SHE MOVED TO AMERICA TO STUDY ARCHITECTURE AND THEN TO LONDON TO STUDY TEXTILE DESIGN. SHE ONLY SPECIALIZED IN FASHION ON HER MA. HER FIRST READY-TO-WEAR COLLECTION WAS SHOWN AT THE AUTUMN/WINTER LONDON FASHION WEEK IN 2008. KATRANTZOU'S COLLECTIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE IN OVER 60 HIGH END BOUTIQUES.
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT MARY KATRANTZOU AND HER WORK DOWNLOAD HER PRESS BOOK FROM http://www.marykatrantzou.com//

KNOWN FOR HYPER-REAL AND PARADISIACAL PRINTS KATRANTZOU'S SIGNATURE IS TO TRICK THE EYE. SHE CREATES EVERY PRINT HERSELF. HER 'ENGINEERED' PRINTS ARE INDIVIDUALLY TAILORED TO FIT EACH PATTERN PIECE MAKING HER DESIGNS A WORK OF ART. KATRANTZOU BLURRED THE LINE BETWEEN FASHION AND FINE ART.

MARY KATRANTZOU'S FIRST FASHION SHOW IN F/W 2009 WAS INSPIRED BY COCO CHANEL'S MAXIM :

'A WOMAN WHO DOESN'T WEAR PERFUME HAS NO FUTURE'

IN THIS COLLECTION KATRANZOU PLACED STRUCTURAL FORMS OF PERFUME  BOTTLES ACROSS DRESSES.

KATRANTZOU'S S/S 2011 COLLECTION WAS INSPIRED BY THE HIGHLY STYLIZED PHOTOGRAPHS OF GUY BOURDIN AND HELMUT NEWTON. GREEK DESIGNER USED HYPER-REAL IMAGES OF INTERIORS AND LANDSKCAPES AS THE MAIN FEATURE OF THIS COLLECTION. SHE ADDED TROMPE L'OEIL INTERIOR DETAILS LIKE VICTORIAN INSPIRED LAMPSHADE SKIRTS WHICH BECAME THE SIGNATURE OF THIS MAGNIFICENT COLLECTION.

F/W 2011 COLLECTION INSPIRED BY DIANA VREELAND'S 'GARDEN FROM HELL' LIVINGROOM FEATURES RICH INTRICATE PATTERNS OF FLOWERS, FISH, BIRDS AND OTHER COLOURFULL OBJECTS. ELEMENTS FROM ROCOCO PORTRAITS, MEISSEN, CHINESE PORCELAIN, COROMANDEL SCREENS AND WHOLE COLLECTION  OF OBJECTS D'ART MORPHED TOGETHER CREATING BREATH TAKING DESIGNS.

 

 
FABERGE EGG INSPIRED FROCK EMBODIED WITH SEQUINS, CRYSTALS AND THREE DIMENTIONAL FLOWERS.                                                                                      

BLOOMING GARDEN - S/S 2012 COLLECTION IS A STORY OF NATURE AND INDUSTRY WITH A DISPLAY OF PATTERN AND COLOUR AND INSPIRATION BY SCULPTOR JOHN CHAMBERLAIN.

 'CRASH COUTURE'

COLLECTION INSPIRED BY WORK OF SCULPTOR JOHN  CHAMBERLAIN WHO CRATED HIS VIBRANT COLOURED, DYNAMIC SCULPTURES FROM CRUSHED AUTOMOBILE PARTS.

TRIBAL BEAT - F/W 2012 COLLECTION FOCUSES ON ABSTRACT AND GRID-LIKE PATTERNS. KATRANTZOU DID NOT STAY AWAY FROM COLOUR SHOWCASING A RANGE OF SATURATED HUES SUCH AS EMERALD, SAPPHIRE BLUE, CANARY YELLOW AND RUBY.

 

 

 'SURREAL PLANES', 'FLORALS' AND 'THE SURREALIST IDEAL'  ARE  THE TITLES OF COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN MARY KATRANTZOU AND PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC MADIGAN HECK. THIS SPLENDID PROJECT IS BECOMEING MORE AND MORE CONCEPTUAL WITH EACH SERIES. 'SURREAL PLANES' PRESENTS PIECES FROM KATRANTZOU'S F/W 2011 COLLECTION. INSPIRED BY INTERIOR PAINTINGS OF THE 19TH CENTURY FRENCH PAINTERS PIERRE BONNARD AND EDWARD VUILLARD  ERIC MADIGAN HECK BLURRED THE  LINE BETWEEN FASHION PHOTOGRAPHY AND FINE ART. 'FLORALS' IS THE SERIES OF BREATH TAKING PAINTING-LIKE IMAGES PRESENTING  DESIGNER'S S/S 2012 PIECES. THE LAST SERIES 'THE SURREALIST IDEAL' (F/W 2012) TAKES THE VIEWER INTO SURREAL AND BIZZARE WORLD OF DREAM IMAGERY INSPIRED BY THE WORK OF SURREALISTS.

 TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ERIC MADIGAN HECK VISIT http://www.maisondesprit.com/