FeiFei Cicada spring/summer 2017 collection catwalk show for LFW

Watched on by a teeming crowd including upcoming singers Hatty Keane and Eve-Yasmine, designer Fei Feng showcased her debut London Fashion Week spring/summer 2017 collection under her label FeiFei Cicada.  Models slowly circled the floor amidst the beautiful backdrop of The Dome, at South Kensington’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Serenity reigned, with voluminous duchess satins and tulles emerging from behind silk velvet curtains. These pieces were draped into sumptuous romantic shapes and silhouettes, evoking memories of bygone stately eras of historical costume, whilst classical music played in the background.

The collection was titled Elapsed Dreams in the Reverie Palace, perfectly befitting the regal designs which would certainly be appropriate for any queen: Elizabethan-style full-length ball gowns with wide crinoline hems and oversized ruffle collars, in deep burgundy, rusted bronze, pewter and dove-wing champagne in satin and organza; and  exaggerated bell and tulip-shaped sleeves, cinched in with ruffled pleats and ornate brocades. 

Accessories included delicate pewter and bronze butterflies and insects which peeked out from the shoulders and spines of the gowns, whilst hair was teased into beautiful chignon buns. Asymmetric and almost Grecian influences crept in, and dresses with perfectly intricate pleating showed an incredibly expert craftsmanship from the designer.  Each piece was created by Fei Feng in her design studio in London, the collection of dresses which she created for a palace based somewhere between reality and a dream world.Giant umbrellas were also pleated in tulle, incorporating the model as though inside a royal carriage of black organza, one of which rose above the model in wire shaping above the head creating a completely veiled look – the longest train over an exquisite brocade floral silk in antique copper.  During the finale, Fei Feng followed the runway to the adjacent sculpture room, opening the velvet curtains to reveal the models posing daintily amongst the ancient marble statues.Viewing this collection close-up and amongst such opulence was the perfect showcase for Fei Feng’s exquisitely crafted and detailed dresses, and surely positioning this young designer within a new generation of haute couturiers.

Victoria Geaney
Photos: Piers Cunliffe

For further information about FeiFei Cicada visit here.