Leanne Marshall — Modern, Breathtaking Beauty

Forest green silk wool tank gown with hand painted ivory silk organza skirt

In Leanne’s own words — “This was a dream come true!” There is likely no better way to describe the debut presentation for Leanne Marshall at MBFW, Lincoln Center than her own words. Presenting for her first time at Lincoln Center, The Pavilion, I’m sure was nothing short of a dream come true, an unimaginable experience! Leanne’s show was my 1st ever, and I’m happy I was able to be at her 1st showing at Lincoln Center, a very momentous and memorable occasion.

Ruby silk chiffon gown, plunging neckline, hand painted silk ivory organza detail

Forest green silk wool empire waist gown with silk chiffon draping

Tea length white double crepe wool skirt with sheer black chiffon blouse

For her A/W 2015 collection, Leanne was inspired by director Francois Truffaut’s 1975 tragic film story, The Story of Adele H. The film was based on memoirs of Adele Hugo, daughter of Victor Hugo. It follows a young woman across the globe as she pursues the love of a man who doesn’t return her affections. As this man continuously rejects her, love turns into obsession, which slowly drives her insane.

Sheer black organza silk arapea short dress

Hand painted ivory silk organza gown with forest green asymmetrical velvet detail

Hand painted sheer silk ivory organza dress with draped details

Staying true to the film, this collection is segmented into 4 sections.

Le Voyage — The Voyage

The woman is making her passage, journeying for love. She is full of dreams, that the love she awaits for will to be waiting in return for her. The color palette here is black, with pops of olive green and gold. I can see a free-flowing vibe here with the silhouettes though, suggesting hope, openness. A woman here is carefree, unbeknownst of any negativity or trouble around her.

La Chasse de l’amour — Love’s Chase

Next, the woman is actively pursuing her love. She will stop at nothing to win the affection of her dream lover, even if he says no. The color palette her is deep, emerald greens mixed with taupe and ivory. We also get to first experience some lovely dye treatment from Leanne. The theme here is pursuit and what I’m seeing is a mix of purity, lots of white, representing this woman’s pure, clear vision of her love. But some of the pieces, the ones working with dye, show that this vision, upon closer inspection, is clearly a bit muddled. The woman’s vision is blurred.

La Obsession — The Obsession

Love turns to obsession. She can think of nothing but one man and her determination to have him. As she is haunted, day in and day out, her grip on reality loosens. There is a lot of red and deep burgundy in these pieces, clearly representing a lustful, passionate love. The silhouettes are very loose, not as pulled together, showing a woman who is in shambles.

Handpainted burlywood and wine silk chiffon gown with spaghetti straps & asymmetrical draping

Rust silk chiffon gown with spaghetti straps & draping

Sheer rust silk chiffon tank gown

La Demence — Madness

For this woman, all logic and reason is now gone, leaving her a total mess and in tears. Thus, her descent to madness begins. There is still such a beauty to these pieces, but structure and form are not by the book. Colors are void, very deep and dark.

Sheer navy long sleeve silk organza gown with textured skirt

Navy silk wool strapless gown with hand-painted textured silk organza skirt

White & navy silk organza gown with asymmetrical hand painted bodice detail

Navy blue long sleeve silk sheer chiffon gown

Strapless navy blue gown with silk chiffon organza skirt

I am in love with this collection. Her work with hand-painting and dye treatments have created pure magic in these pieces. You can see this crazed woman represented in these pieces, yet there is still elegance and glamor. The pieces here are truly stunning, very eye-catching, and I love that there is such a focused story here. Leanne presented 2 collections this season, a RTW, and more upscale as seen here. With so much work on her plate, she clearly could have let some pieces slip, but she has not done that. She has stuck to her high quality, ethereal signature, but has still evolved and created some very modern pieces. CONGRATS LEANNE!