Franck Sorbier makes a joyful racket

Crowned a master couturier in 2005, Franck Sorbier took to the Pavillon des Champs-Elysées to show his haute couture collection for autumn/winter 2017-18, summoning a noir-ish atmosphere; black petals on the floor and ladders on the stage. To the sound of bold percussion and a jerky rhythm, the house delivered a dance performance, playing with the associated codes of luxury materials, and portraying the dress like a canvas, almost street art.

Under strobes, Sorbier's mistress of time -- dressed in a metal corset to look like a the mechanics of a watch -- started swirling and twirling on the spot, effectively showcasing different shapes and silhouettes with the dress, as well as prints and patterns created and painted by Sorbier's wife, Isabelle Tartière-Sorbier.

It was a duo work for the couple, who collaborate from their Parisian atelier, where -- in terms of textiles, the collection set about ruffling up fabrics and mixing materials.

"The commoners are ennobled and the precious materials are desecrated," said the label in its booklet.

Velvet, macramé, boiled wool, silk organza, lace or raffia, the mix of the materials referred to different 'Women of the World', as in the show name. The title of each outfit set the tone: Mademoiselle de l'Action Picturale, Mademoiselle de la Déchetterie and Mademoiselle de la Kermesse all being in attendance on stage.

And the references continued to collide, with models batting eyes packed with eyeliner and complex 1940s hairdos; the forties look crossing over onto skirts and long black gloves too.

At the end, the models were then followed by little girls, including twins Garance and Léa Ribeiro, walking to the sound of singers Charlélie Couture and Lio. The music slowed, then the children -- in dresses of ample volumes and abstract prints, were lulled by a Jacques Prévert poem read by actress Ophélia Kolb, from the series 'Dix Pour Cent'.

The whole thing lead to both a soft and incongruous atmosphere, therefore making, as the house claimed, a joyful racket.

Franck Sorbier makes a joyful racket

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