A tale about the strength it takes to live in the world we find ourselves in.
A tale about your personal overcoming that you perform every day.
A medieval tapestry about your life.

Confidence COLLECTION

I made this collection at the absolute highest of medieval/castle core trend because for once, this was a trend I loved. Usually, you should act early on the trend curve or not at all. I didn’t care.

The result combines all the things I love most: corsetry, armour, slight historism, lacelike design and peak femininity.

Cornelius Engebrechtsz, circa 1500 — St. Barbara and St. Catherine

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 1994

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Jean Paul Gaultier Couture 2011

Jean Paul Gaultier SS 2004

Manchester Art Gallery

Jean Paul Gaultier SS 2022

Jean Paul Gaultier Fall 2011 Couture

Thom Browne

Though always dancing around lace associations with my openwork designs, I never used it as direct source of inspiration before. So this idea felt long overdue! And surely it would add to the elegant and feminine vibe of the collection.

While using lacing in jewelry was surely fun and allowed me to blend in my favourite long chains, it was more like a detail to the concept rather than the basis. What should the collection look like generally? I looked around and decided to draw my main inspiration from lace.

So I studied various corsets and lacing types, being particularly fond of the fan lacing, which later made way into a ring design.

It resonated with me, because philosophically I felt like speaking about making it through the hard times. Plague, war, and you still have to show up to work, that kind of thing

I wanted a feminine figure who carries the load of responsibility, often not only for herself, but for the family and others who she can't let down. The world around her only changes for the worse and every day there is another new challenge to overcome, and yet she rises up, put on her armour, and does what has to be done.

When I started designing this collection, my very first idea was corsetry. Corsetry is often persieved as feminine armour because of how structured it is and how it shapes your posture and makes you hold your head high.

Studying lace also allowed me to seamlessly connect all the corsetry and ruffles to the medieval vibe. I found many similarities between medieval tapestry, manuscript illustrations and some lace motifs. This is how dragons, unicorns and other beasts came onto the scene.

Needle lace, late 19th century. Kent State University Museum

Tapestry of The Lady and the Unicorn, late 15th century

Aemilia Ars needlepoint lace. Bologna

Figure from Musaeum Hermeticum, 1678

The Lady and the Unicorn (detail). Musée de Cluny Paris

There is such a variety of beasts references in antique lace. In the gallery, there is a number of various needlepoint and crochet lace examples I used as references.

Aemilia Ars needlepoint lace. Bologna

Italian needlepoint tablecloth.

Needlepoint tablecloth, possibly Belgium, circa 1915.

Antique Irish crochet lace.

My designs often have very thin and intricate details. This time, as the collection is specifically lace-themed, I wanted to push the boundary right to the limit if what's possible. It was a painful journey :) But we succeeded.

Because of my devotion to make the jewelry as intricate as possible, all designs were done in 3D. There was a lot of refining and seeking balance between the thinness of silver lace and limits of casting.

When thinking about how this collection’s story should look visually, I took inspiration from catwalk looks — you probably have guessed I love Gaultier — and from medieval fashion, which allowed to mix historical details and modern, somewhat magical look.

Saint Catherine and Saint Barbara, 16th century

Giovanni Antonio Bazzi — La vita di San Benedetto, Scene 38, detail

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2008

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 1994

Dreaming Eli 2024

Menchen Thomas SS'24

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 1994

A 1930s vintage dress I bought two years prior and used for this campaign

This is a tale about rising up every morning
and stepping back into your battlefield —
strong, tired, unstoppable.

This is a tale about your daily fight,
Not the kind with banners or applause,
But the one that happens inside,
Each time you stand tall again.

This is a tale about normal life
About holding everything together
while the world keeps asking for more.

You carry the weight of the world,
and make it look effortless.
No one sees the armor beneath your skin.

Isn’t it heroic to just keep going?
Each day — a round in the invisible war.

Slaying a dragon is easy if you only need to do it once

They used to sing about knight and heroes.
But the real legends
Should be about women like you.

This is a tale about persistence,
about power dressed as grace,
About showing up — not because you want to,
but because you must.

This is a tale where you get praised for taking it this far
And then onwards.

This is a tale about you

Team:

Photography and videography: Evgenia Elanic
Assistant videography: Vera Factor
Models: Alexandra Savina, Elizabeth Kaneko
Make-up: Nikita Naskovets
Style: Evgenia Elanic

White blouse by Kaneko

Music: Strings of Adventure by Sonican under Pixabay Content License