PARIS, Jan 26, 2007/ FW/ --- Cabinets of curiosities were collections of objects we are now regarding as belonging to different fields of knowledge and exploration.

In the Renaissance and up to our days, they have contained objects that still had to be defined. They often included specimens of natural history, archaeology, religious relics, historical souvenirs, geology pieces, paintings and sculptures of various origins and antiquities.

Some belonged to aristocrats or merchants (including pirates), others to early practitioners of science in Europe.

It is in this kind of pre-museum setting that Franck Sorbier has set up the presentation of his Haute Couture collection, last Wednesday, inside the Paris Theatre du Palais-Royal.

The presentation he chose to make inside this Italian-style classic theatre consisted of a series of some twenty static tableaux, some with one girl, some with two, some with a girl and one or several animals, each of these being curtained off from the sight of the audience between each scene, in due theatrical style.

For several years now, Franck Sorbier has been presenting a new kind of couture work that finally made his house get the agreement to use the Haute Couture label.

He is in fact the last one (together with Adeline André) to have been elected by his peers on the board of full members of the very short list of Paris fashion houses allowed to use this name. His research on compressed material has been since the very beginning original and probably appeals to a small clientele with wearable clothes that have a technical plus.

Through the seasons, I have never eyed though his collections on a proper catwalk… I can only remember them set in a theatre, a cabaret or a circus. And I must say, as his compressions consist of several layers of various materials stuck together that I would be interested to see them move close up one day as it can be suspected that lightness and softness are probably not their fortes. But to what extent?

His direction of the show was yet intriguing enough to create an atmosphere. Lace dresses embroidered with pearls, a coat printed or appliquéd with tarot cards a baby doll white dress with tutu of compressed tulle came complete with the girl mimicking statically, that she was pulling a pony horse on stage.

The Mystery was there although nothing really did surprise, except maybe a very literal church-like Madonna (complete with baby in her arms, red embroidered rigid tunic and crown).

The innovation respect to his previous collections came from the shorter dresses quite seldom seen in this designer’s work and presented here in good proportions.

The standout for the collection was probably one of these: the press notes are calling it “Queribus’, a bustier dress with “body print”, which could be a tribute to the works of Yves Klein. The body print was black and in the middle of the otherwise ivory dress of compressed satin crepe and tribute to Yves Klein could reasonably be thought of as the girl wearing that dress had a pot of black paint and a dripping paintbrush in her hands.

The house’s customers seemed happy on their way out after the designer had taken his bow with the models and with interior decorator Jacques Garcia that Franck Sorbier had dedicated this collection to.

Nevertheless, many sponsors, including Pearls of Tahiti and the House of Cartier which contributed highly to give a sparkle to the magic of the show, also reveal that the house is not one of Paris giants, although it can use in its own right the name Haute Couture, and that it still needs sponsorship to produce its fashion shows..

Franck Sorbier

Franck Sorbier

Franck Sorbier

Franck Sorbier

Franck Sorbier

Franck Sorbier

Franck Sorbier

Franck Sorbier