Oilily's fashion show at Amsterdam Fashion Week

Different is beautiful
Oilily's catwalk show at Amsterdam Fashion Week

Oilily presented its women's fashion 2016 winter collection on Amsterdam Fashion Week's catwalk last night. Clearly stirred by ethnic diversity, Oilily reflected this in its choice of title; Different is Beautiful, inspired by people of different cultures, backgrounds, beauties, outlooks and desires. Everything in the collection revolved around intriguing clashes; not only in colour but also in forms and fabrics. For example supple silk with wool, and tight fitting dresses were mixed with oversized coats. Oilily's winter collection for 2016 expressed a rich and luxurious sensation, brimful of surprises. 

Seen on the catwalk
Oilily's show consisted of three mini collections. First of the mini collections on the catwalk witnessed Oilily's designers revisiting the seventies to breathe new life into that most decadent of decades. All pieces featured natural, flowing and feminine forms, with the fabric and colour choices shouting their remarkable clashes. Items in mohair were for example finished with dégradé and jacquard effects, whilst warm reddish hues and flammable oranges merged with camel and toffee colours and outrageous shades of striking blue.  
As the first model stepped onto the catwalk, DJs Joost van Bellen and Sander Stenger gradually constructed their accompanying musical backdrop, entirely in keeping with the mounting drama of Oilily's three mini collections.  

The second mini collection dwelt on the contrast between sporty and deluxe items, with a supple focus on softness, comfort and luxurious materials. For example there were items made from warm sweatshirt fabric, expressing a luxurious radiance by combining it with rich cashmere. All prints were abstract, irrepressibly colourful and audacious. The textured knitwear was full and three dimensional, featuring loops, or contrarily more functional with straight lines of strong, starched finishes. The items' shapes could be recognised in a contrasting palette; ranging from tight fitting shirts and dresses to oversized jumpers.

For the third and last mini collection, Oilily's designers chose to combine a balance of blue, green and red. The fabrics all radiated a sumptuous, full presence, with highlights picked out here and there in glitter. The coats in this mini collection exuded an air of insolent tomboyishness, featuring a duffel coat and a sporty striped coat, created from manifold mohair fabrics. The natural prints drew inspiration from the twenties art deco period; an influence which imbued the collection with a touch of mystery and ambiguity.

During the finale, three amazing traditional djembé drummers provided a live accompaniment to the beats cooked up by DJs Joost van Bellen and Sander Stenger, serving up an enthralling mix of world music informed by a plethora of cross-cultural influences.
To celebrate the show, every visitor received an exclusive cognac coloured bracelet of soft Italian leather, handmade in the Netherlands. For an even more personal touch, the bracelets had edges of a soft coral colour.