Spring has arrived which means we get to review the most beautiful spring collections. Rami Al Ali has been on our radar for quite some time. He is a noted fashion designer from Syria who has designed a beautiful collection for spring-summer 2014 based on a painting by John Everett Millais. This collection tells the tragic story of Ophelia…
Bio: Rami Al Ali
Syrian born designer Rami Al Ali moved to the United Arab Emirates after graduating from the College of Fine Arts in 1995. In the UAE Rami gained experience in fashion by working at prestigious fashion houses, which led to the birth of his own fashion label Rami Al Ali in 2000. His European breakthrough came in 2009 when his spring/summer couture collection appeared on the runway during Rome’s AltaRoma couture week. In January 2012 Al Ali debuted during Paris Couture Fashion Week, showcasing his spring/summer 2012 collection alongside designer labels like Chanel, Elie Saab and Dior. Rami is now a regular at Paris Fashion Week and counts singer Beyonce, actress Kerry Washington and model Chanel Iman as his (impressive) celebrity clientele.
Spring/Summer 2014: John Everett Millais’ Ophelia
For his spring/summer 2014 collection, Rami Al Ali was inspired by a painting by British artist Sir John Everett Millais. This painting depicts Ophelia, a character from Shakespeare’s play ‘Hamlet’, singing while floating in a river just before she drowns. The story tells, that Ophelia was gathering flowers before she fell into the river. In the painting she floats in the water, the colorful flowers she picked float around her, she is wearing a beautiful full-skirted ball gown and is surrounded by nature. In the background a bush of beautiful, white flowers, part of a classic English landscape.
This painting tells a tragic story of love, romance, madness and death. Rami isn’t the first designer to be inspired by art and culture. With his designs he tells us the story of Ophelia. The color palette includes pastel tones referring to the sweetness of love and romance. A few gowns are darker, colored black and blue, showing darkness and death. The gowns resemble the gown Ophelia wears in the painting. The collection exists of beautiful long evening/ball gowns decorated with lace, shimmery embroidery and flowers. The silhouettes are very feminine. The overall look of this collection is British rose meets Parisian chic. The light and sheer fabrics flow beautifully referring to the flowing river Ophelia floats in.
Spring favorites
I absolutely love the colors used for this collection, from icy blues to romantic pinks and purples. The bright flower decorations that are pinned onto the two darker gowns show the contrast between romance and madness, like a dream slowly turning into a nightmare. My favorite from this collection is a stunning pale, pink gown, with cowl front and sheer fabric used at one side of the skirt. Another favorite is a long, strapless gown with tight bodice and loose, flowing skirt. The pink floral print makes it a perfect choice for spring.
Make sure you take a look at Rami Al Ali’s other collections on his website: ramialali.com