Louis Shengtao Chen – Graduated from Central Saint Martins , currently based in Chongqing, China – this season found myself listening to Frank Sinatra’s classic “Fly Me to the Moon.” The song played over and over again, so much so that Chen ended up basing his entire collection on it — focusing on ideas of escapism, and clothes that evoke that spirit of freedom. “To fly into the middle of nowhere, you can hold all your hopes [and dreams] — there are no boundaries,” Chen said.
The designer’s spring collection includes dreamy and ethereal pieces, which he describes as “fresh and fragile.” The opening look, for example, was a delicate georgette slip dress with lace trim, but he juxtaposed it with some toughness: “Adrian’s Cupid” was embroidered on the bust, a replica of Chen’s chest tattoo. “I’m trying to bring some of the rock spirit into something that’s seen as quite romantic,” he said.
