BOSSTVRVA Teil 2

Masculin féminin inversé: Encrypting the vision of a true BOSS LADY.

Inspired by the Sworn Virgins of Albania (burrnesha or virgjnesha) – women who assume the life and rights of a man, vowing not to marry or have children – I recalled cross-dressing with my sister as teenagers, wearing the ‘Boss’ suits our Macedonian father wore in the nineties.

Thrilled by my concept of ‘power dressing inversé’: The special attention to interface work- the closest layer to the body- allows me to incorporate interiors constructions that sensually stimulate the body. On the surface, signature menswear pieces. But underneath they show an intimate celebration of individual heritage and the erotic body. My designs are spectacular objects in their own right. Rough, raw, embellished layers. Traditional techniques utilized as stimulating decoration. Personal trinkets worn close on the skin. Embroidered bra cups, ‘wet’ silicone painted details, beaded crotch linings.

Manipulating the coded value of dress.
Archetypal 80’s/90’s menswear fabrics from dead stock, juxtaposed with Lamé textiles sourced from an Albanian fabric market in Macedonia. Typical Eastern European domestic decoration: the balance act between chaos and precision.

Modified garments, shapes and embellishments show references to classic menswear, workwear, military dress and Macedonian folkloric dress (Eleče vest).

‘Off’-silhouettes. Exaggerated lengths and proportions, shifted seams.
High-waisted trousers, broad shoulders. Fused elements create disruptions between hard and soft. Eccentric material combinations and distorted monogram prints.

Audacious incorporation of luxury materials. Luxurious exggeration.
A body-warmer with exposed Guinea Fowl plume filling, embroidered Jacquard elbow patches on a nylon sweater.