BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
From Chanel to Lady Gaga, artists have long seen the beauty in combining fashion with music. The tradition continues as Melbourne nine-piece The New Palm Court Orchestra teams up with emerging fashion designer Vincent Li in a celebration of the arts.
As part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Cultural Program this Saturday, there’ll be a night of chamber music led by NCPO pianist/composer Gemma Turvey, and a showcase of the Melbourne fashionista’s inspiring garments.
They’ll be joined by countertenor Maximilian Riebl, for which Li has also designed a unique outfit that evokes the feeling of ‘first love’. Li chats about the collaboration and effects of combining the two art forms.
What do you feel is the connection between fashion and music?
They are inseparable. Fashion is also a form of art. We might have already forgotten how much clothes affect us inside. The designers and composers gain the inspirations from our society and improvise the individual sense and expression. They are both part of our civilization.
Changes in fashion and music across the eras are dramatic. Do you feel the two share any similarities that are defined by era?
I think the style will remain and fashion will always update with the changes of the world, including music. The music artists have played a significant role in influencing the trends. Especially, in ‘80s, pop or hip-hop music liberated our feelings and had a huge impact on our pop culture. The music inspired or uplifted our spirit, and at the same time we seek self-expression through what we wear.
Do you listen to music while you’re creating your designs?
I love most types of music, but I especially like the music that can inspire my imaginations, such as cinematic soundtracks, jazz, electronic, etc.. Recently, I have been listening to Broadway Project by Matthew Bourne and also the works of the artist Synkro. When I was around 20 years old, I almost become a member of a Chinese boy band. To be an entertainer is always my dream when I grew up.
How did the idea come about to work with NPCO?
Since I trained as dancer from a young age, VINCENT LI always wants to capture the emotions and heart of the wearer. You put the clothes on and then begin the journey into intellectual artisanship, which each of the garments arms to instil. Similar to music, it transforms a theme to awaken our feelings and emotions. The collaboration with NPCO will portray the story of VINCENT LI AW16/17 MENS Collection ‘The Left Ear’, which is centred on the bitter-sweetness of teenage love.
On a practical level, how will you and the NPCO be collaborating in your upcoming gig?
Every collection of VINCENT LI will always have a story to tell and portray particular feelings. VINCENT LI loves collaborate with different forms of art and think of unconventional presentations of its creations.
What inspired your design for Max Riebl’s outfit?
‘The Left Ear’ is centred on the bitter-sweetness of teenage love, which is depicted in the Chinese film ‘The Left Ear’. The film portrays the youthful journey of exploring the often painful and cruel experiences of love that most of us experienced when we grew up. Why the left ear? That’s the ear closest to your heart, the side to whisper ‘I love you’ and evoke those emotions of ‘first love’. Vincent Li has taken this and turned it into his new line – look carefully and you will see a silhouette that emphasises the left (heart) side of the garment but still looks symmetrical. Contemplate the prints – what emotion does it evoke? Something beautiful, perhaps something a little haunting? The experience of that first love that might not quite have finished the way the romance novel tells you.
The concert takes place this Saturday night at Deakin Edge, bookings here. For more on Vincent Li, see his website.
Image supplied.
