Olivier Theyskens

[Kodak]

Like the title states I decided to make a thread about Olivier Theyskens. Here we can discuss the genius of his own line and the reinvention of the Parisian house of Rochas.Here is the firstview link for the Rochas collections, I will upload some of those picture later.

Olivier Theyskens FW 2000

Olivier Theyskens FW 2001

[Kodak]

Re: Olivier Theyskens



Olivier Theyskens SS 2002

[Faust]

Re: Olivier Theyskens

This guy is amazing. I'll post more later. Thanks, Kodak.

[Candid Cool]

Re: Olivier Theyskens



wow, this is the 1st time I have seen oliver theysken's solo designs. i love the 2nd white dress and the black leather coat. I can see why Oliver Theysken's for Rochas was not "profitable" his stuff is not trendy or fashionable. He didn't produce any "it" items and samples were not sent outin droves to celebrity "it" girls.

I have never had the privilege to see a Rochas gown but I have heard that they are painstakingly detailed to the very inside of the lining.

He designs from his own... I loved how for Rochas, Oliver said he wanted to give women their dignity back. We can only wait to see what he does for Nina Ricci...

[Kodak]

Re: Olivier Theyskens

Here is a link for a slideshow of Olivier while at Rochas http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2006/08/02/magazine/20060806_THEYSKENS_SLIDESHOW_1.htm

[Servo2000]

Re: Olivier Theyskens

Fantastic stuff! I had only seen his work while he was at Rochas and it's all very impressive.

[goethe]

Re: Olivier Theyskens

the YOUNG BELGIAN FASHION DESIGN book has a nice article about him as well as photos of his early collections. i will try to scan and upload for those who don't have access to the book.

[zamb]

Re: Olivier Theyskens



ive followed his work from the beginning, ive seen all the collections he's ever done.

he is probably the most consistent designer to have come out in the last Ten Years.

i liked him more when he was working under his own name though.................

[deuxmille]

Re: Olivier Theyskens

I'm not familiar with him, but I have to day that the two white and the two black outfits are extremely to my liking.

[Faust]

Re: Olivier Theyskens



I think he is a truly amazing designer and was acknowledged as such from the beginning (he was already famous at 18!). His gothic gowns were his most powerful pieces, before the iconic pant-suit at Rochas.

[mutterlein]

Re: Olivier Theyskens



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uye9axJgndk

The above is a Smashing Pumpkin Music video for "Stand Inside Your Love". I'm almost certain Theyskens designed the huge hoop skirts the band wears in it (yes watch it, they're amazing!). Billy Corgan commented that he had a "young belgian fashion designer" make them. The bassist in the video Melissa Auf De Maur is good friends with Theyskens and this was made right around the time Theyskens was gaining attention. I'm not sure if he did the other costumes but they're right up his alley. I also suspect Theyskens dressed Melissa in another video for "Everlasting Gaze".

[Faust]

Re: Olivier Theyskens



I can't believe I missed this [:'(]

Talking to Theyskens



A fashion chit-chat at the French Institute

Monday, December 10, 2007



(NEW YORK) The crowd gathered at the French Institute Alliance
Française Friday for the final installment of FIAF's "Fashion Talks"
with Pamela Golbin and Nina Ricci's artistic director, Olivier
Theyskens, included a slew of budding designers and die-hard Theyskens
fans, not to mention members of the New York City Ballet and fashion
stalwarts including Loulou de la Falaise, Barneys New York's Julie
Gilhart, and the FIT's Valerie Steele.



"We've been stuck in traffic in a taxi and Olivier was just sewing a
pearl onto my jacket," laughed Golbin, before beginning her interview
with Theyskens, where everything from dropping out of fashion college
to the transition from Rochas to Ricci was discussed by the designer,
who had the crowd laughing with his insouciant humor and charm. Of his
appointment as Nina Ricci's artistic director in 2006, Theyskens
remarked, "It seemed that my aesthetic was matching some essence behind
the brand. And there is some truth to the story that I was sketching a
dress with little birds on it, thinking 'this is very Nina Ricci,' and
then I got a call from the brand," the designer laughed. The fashion
house, started in 1932, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, and
Theyskens elaborated on the endurance of the label. "Unlike most French
brands, which stopped for a while during the war, or for whatever other
reasons, Nina Ricci has just kept going the entire time. It's like a
neverending story--sometimes it was at the front of the scene,
sometimes not, but it was always around."



As for the neverending story of the wunderkind designer--who turned 30
this year, which also marks his 10th anniversary in the fashion
sphere--formal training wasn't necessarily the way forward. "There were
no artistic people in my family, they were all into science, and no one
had any respect for an artistic diploma, so no one was stressed about
me leaving La Cambre [a prestigious Belgian arts college]. The only
disaster was when I went to the school in the first place!" Theyskens,
who started making clothes as soon as he left, gained recognition by
sending look books of his designs around Paris, prompting such
celebritites as Madonna to wear them. "I was ok about Madonna wearing
my piece," he laughed. "I wasn't hysterical about it. I had a friend
who was having a crisis over it! But it did make me feel more than
satisfaction. I started thinking I was right to be making the choices I
made."



As for the moniker Theyskens' early designs earned him, that of "Dark
Prince of Belgian Goth," the designer explained, "I didn't even know
anything about the Gothic movement. I thought they were referring to
cathedrals! I like the idea of something being fragile and broken, I
was speaking about sadness, happiness. Nostalgie, mélancholie, a
mixture of emotions is very important to me." When Rochas, formerly a
division of P&G, invited him to be head designer in 2002, it was
exactly the right timing. "I do what I feel is right. Rochas had been
closed for a long time and I wanted to create clothing that fit with
the brand but also to make sure there was enough space for the creation
of something new. After seven seasons, the house came to a close again,
and I understood why. I personally was attracted to go on to another
story; I didn't feel like I'd stay there for 20 years." Theyskens
concluded by commenting on his design aesthetic. "It's interesting to
get inspired by a precise thing and then to re-work it. When I design,
I prefer to feel that what I'm doing has not been done yet."



A Q&A period followed Theyskens' interview, allowing the audience
to ask everything ranging from how garments are quality controlled to
how marketing and creativity work together to whether or not they could
be considered for upcoming internships with the designer.



Q: Can you develop on your experience at La Cambre?

A: Quit! Sometimes I have impulsive reactions, and I felt very strongly
that I have to go away from here. I wanted to quit and do clothes.



Q: Were your designs featured in a Smashing Pumpkins video?

A: Yeah. I loved Smashing Pumpkins and Billy Corgan's fantasy was connected to what I was doing.



Q: Has your idea of beauty evolved?

A: I have strong images of what I found beautiful as a kid and then
there is the shock of everything I've found beautiful afterwards!



Q: How did you finance your first collection?

A: It's actually interesting because I'd collected so many materials
over the years that I used everything I had. It was almost coming to
the point where I had to take things from my family--like their sheets!
I was lucky enough that my family could give me a little hand with
things.



Q: What makes you happiest outside of fashion?

A: For me, everything outside of fashion makes me happy!



The evening ended with a cocktail reception on the French Institute's
8th floor. Guests not only got to nibble on cheese and crackers and
mini pastries, they also got to take home a piece of Nina Ricci--and
Theyskens--in the form of a sketch book filled with the designer's
doodles.

JENNIFER BARTON

[Faust]

As reported, Nina Ricci’s contract with Olivier Theyskens expires later this year and could be renegotiated and extended — or not

[zamb]

As reported, Nina Ricci’s contract with Olivier Theyskens expires later this year and could be renegotiated and extended — or not

Personally it would be nice to see him doing his own brand again.
after so many years of working at other companies, i think his own label might give him a certain "freedom" to be as creative as he was in the beginning without thinking about parameters.. ............... but there is always the dreaded financing problem.

[Faust]

Yea, the kind of stuff he is capable of producing was best seen in his own label. He had to clamp down his own talent at both Rochas and Nina Ricci.