The second RDVK demi-couture project by designer Ronald van der Kemp was presented in a grand, empty apartment near Place de la Concorde — and it proved just as fun as the first. The designer has been sourcing leftover exotic skin from a handbag factory in Italy as well as couture fabric from late Dutch designer Frans Molenaar to create his chic and slightly wild one-of-a-kind pieces.
To wit: matte-black croc mixed with black lace for a pencil skirt; strips of pink python assembled into a short fitted dress; and a striped black-and-white kimono fabric used for a large skirt with an obi belt paired with a big-shouldered jacket. Van der Kemp excelled at his freewheeling mix of Eighties couture references with wilder Seventies touches, seen in bell-bottom jeans and a black-mesh T-shirt patched with vintage American flags. The haphazard feel of the mismatched mother-of-pearl buttons on a silk chiffon blouse or the collage of fabrics and patches on his artsy T-shirts made his very personal take on couture fascinating. No wonder Kate Moss is already wearing it.
