Dear Shaded viewers,
There was a special invitee at Ester Manas’ SS25 show: an elephant in the room. It burst through the dressing room doors, declaring a stop to the big issue in fashion that can no longer be ignored. Garments graced over curves, tender and unapologetic, leaving nothing to the imagination, challenging the industry’s lack of size-inclusivity the way Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre do best. Femme fatales of all shapes were set free, comfortable, and proud in their own skin.
The show opened with a black long-sleeved t-shirt dress, printed with a cartoon elephant graphic and the text, “The Elephant in the Room” that set a humorous tone to the issue at hand. In the rest of the collection, Ester Manas’ design DNA was reasserted through expert textile manipulation that emphasized life – airy and light, but not fragile.
Transparent layers liberated the body. The only geometric lines to be seen were on lingerie, created in collaboration with Chantelle X, which contrasted the flowing forms of dresses and separates they were paired with. Densely packed ruffles and smocking on coats and dresses radiated femininity, emphasizing liveliness and the intoxicating, loving energy of a woman.
Beneath a series of sheer draped dresses, mesh gathered and pressed to the body to create organic liquid-like lines. Tulle in natural colours, floral prints, and hypnotic abstract patterns graced over bare skin. A conversation played out with more electrifying colours – lilac, red, turquoise, and yellow – through chiffon, hosiery, and the Cancan Handbag. Trench coats, crafted with rouching or trompe l’œil creases on embossed leather, worn with only tights underneath, combined a rounded shoulder silhouette with a cinched waist to complement all curves.
By celebrating life and vitality, and balancing elegance with youth, Ester Manas showcased the power of exposure. The message was clear: let’s stop ignoring what is always there – the elephant in the room.
Later,
Eliya
