Black and white dominated Serkan Cura's Fall/Winter 2015 runway, and furthered the play on words offered by his collection's title, "le jeu des dames." It was either "ladies' play" or checkers, depending on whether you wanted to take a cue from his color palette or the poem left for each guest with their show runner. 

Despite the unifying color palette, something felt off in this line-up of furry coats and feathered headdresses. Whereas Cura's tales usually come together in evocative tableaux, this iteration felt labored, a disjointed collection of discrete elements. A red smear of blush gave models a feverish, disquieting look. Some outfits were so voluminous, the models were challenged in wedging themselves into the narrow backstage door.

There is no doubt Cura is challenging the showmanship of his choice materials, attempting to insert them into a luxurious but contemporary lifestyle. The flat shoes that made this runway into a stroll told as much.

That’s not to say this was a bad outing, as far as design goes. Standouts included a white organza dress made of laced elements tightly bound together; a blue cage made of rows of eyelet tape and lace; a cushy fox fur gilet worn as a dress. The craftsmanship was impressive, as always, bringing together labor-intensive materials such as feathers and fur. All of this pointed to an approach of couture as grounds for experiment once more.

Ultimately, the Petri dish that Cura seeded didn't seem to gel quite right today.

(Re)discover the Spring/Summer 2015 Haute Couture collection right here.