Dress

For Josephus Thimister’s fall/winter 2010–11 couture collection, titled “Bloodshed and Opulence,” the designer took as his inspiration the Bolshevik Revolution and its aftermath. While the theme was personal for Thimister, connected to his own Russian heritage, the designer considered its resonance universal, marking a period in European history that continues to shape the contemporary world. The collection alluded to the ravages of war through fake-blood-spattered, military-inspired ensembles. These evocative, finely tailored garments were juxtaposed with designs that recalled the lost opulence of Imperial Russia, including this dress, densely embroidered with black bugle beads on a silk organza ground. The heavy beading lends weight to the fabric and structure to the silhouette, which is crowned with an integral, cowl-like hood. Thimister first introduced this silhouette in a series of garments designed for Balenciaga’s fall/winter 1996–97 ready-to-wear collection. The elegantly draped hoods evoked the face-framing veils of nun’s habits, an echo of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s lifelong referencing of ecclesiastical vestments.