French haute couture designer Ludovic Winterstan continues to show the extent of his talent of creating breath-taking garments for Fall/Winter 2016/17. Within the somber, darkened halls of the Saint Eustache Church, dramatic music fills the room and sets the backdrop for Winsterstan’s newest collection aptly titled, “Sanctuaire” (Sanctuary).

For this season, Winterstan’s signature flair for the theatrical tells a story of mysterious, powerful women who are elegant yet bewitchingly dangerous. He further declares his love for all that is dark with a collection that is nearly all black with only a few pieces of ruby red shining through. Ludovic’s imaginative creations are not for the dainty, but made with the powerful, warrior women of today’s generation in mind. Each garment shows a masterful combination of fur, wool, spiderweb lace, silks and leather in an organized chaos. What really shines through is the designer’s attention to detail as the whole collection is dripping with thousands of embroidered Swarovski crystals.

Dominating yet feminine, Winterstan’s dark winter pays homage to designers that inspire him like Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, creating garments that transcend fashion into architectural pieces of art. “Sanctuaire” is a romantic ode that floats between romantic and intimidating as models sport bold tresses and braids, by hairstylist Christophe Pujol and powerful war-painted faces by make-up artist Audrey Loy, both of which perfectly fit to illustrate these futuristic yet ancient themes. 

A brilliant follow up to his previous “Noir” and “Rupture” collections, Winterstan proves to be one of the most innovative designers of our time, and we are more than happy to continue exploring his enigmatic dark universe.

Text by C. Wai / Photos by Sophie Maïsuradzé