PARIS, Jul 3, 2007/ FW/ --- High Fashion and Couture have seldom to do with food. Eating is nearly a hidden activity in the kingdom of style. Even if fashionistas sometimes wonder if they do have a digestive tract, designing trio On Aura Tout Vu has tackled this fashion taboo in their couture collection for fall 2007 on a barge floating on the River Seine at lunchtime.

In the fun tradition of the young brand “established in the 20th century” as their logo-coat of arms reads, the first three looks consisted of improbable garments, surrealistic evocations this season of the accessories with which we bring food to our mouths reinterpreted in outfits.

Three white sheaths followed each other, embroidered, for the first with an accumulation of stainless steel spoons, for the second with grey plastic knives, for the third with metal forks carefully protected by pearls around the neckline.

The impertinent tone was set and could give way to more serious work, less inspired by what seemed like the reinterpretation in cutlery of the famous advertising campaigns by Lavazza Coffee.

The collection itself was organized around five catering themes: sugar, almonds, salt, lemon and finally, hot peppers. And there came the surprise: this quite young brand has managed to carefully develop its own prints for the season, consisting of a series of photos of the fruits, nuts and other ingredients already mentioned.

Each time, the outfits consisting of long sheaths, shirt-gowns, silk dresses, satin skirts displaying the printed ingredients in various sizes were accompanied, tied, ornamented with the most delicious accessories, a photo of the ingredient being used as a cameo set inside a frame of worked gunmetal. Flattened spoons and crystallized forks were wrapped around the arms in crafted bracelets. The models were most times carrying box handbags adorned in the same style.

The most surprising effect is that the collection did not look completely like a series of gimmick pieces meant only for the runway. Far from it and from the aesthetics of shower curtains from the 70’s, or the kitchen’s fridge magnets, the garments managed to aesthetically organic without being tacky.

Of course complete looks might be a bit too much for who wants to go by unnoticed in the crowd, but could easily be mixed with other pieces of your wardrobe. The silk squares that embellished some of the dresses in each theme are probably meant to be commercialized separately in numerous duplicates. They would certainly be an original alternative to their famous counterparts by Hermes for the same use and in the same size.

Nevertheless, the standout in the collection were the less literal interpretations of each theme, that came in the almond range, with a short trench-coat of ivory organza worn over a dress in silk georgette, to illustrate almond milk. The same happened in the salt set: a tuxedo jacket worn over a white blouse and a skirt splashed with salt crystals.

We had all received our invitations printed on the white lace paper used to serve pastries in boulangeries. The bride appeared in a perishable long sheath with elaborate long train, made of ruches of the same white fabric: paper doilies.

Reason comes with time and experience, even to the minds of former humorous students in design. This season, On Aura Tout Vu have certainly proposed their most wearable collection so far: original, reasonably eccentric, sweetly subversive, with unexpected commercial potential.