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EFHA Focus: Bridal Ensemble, 1994

15.09.2018
1990soriental stylewedding style

A design embodying the encounter of different traditions and cultures.
The image depicts an elegant bridal ensemble consisting of a white kimono in textured silk worn over a blouse in a knitted voile and a long white skirt. The look is completed by a hat, and is part of the collections of ModeMuseum Hasselt.
The white kimono is made of a precious operated Chinese silk; it has a stand-up collar and two stitched side pockets. The matching hat is made of the same fabric. The long, white wrap skirt is in knitted silk as well as the blouse, which presents the cross closure typical of oriental clothing.
The ensemble was designed in 1994 by Magda Cuyckx, a fashion designer and artist active in Hasselt, quite appreciated during the 1990s. From 1993 to 1996 Cuyckx ran her studio, which she called ‘Lena Li’, where she made women’s clothing and men’s shirts, mainly using Chinese crepe silk.
The name of the brand holds together the first name of the designer (Magdalena) and ‘Li’,  a Chinese word,ì linked to her interests and to her practice as designer and artist. Her work stands out as an encounter of oriental materials and occidental techniques of construction, and the result appears elegant and harmonious demonstrating how fashion can put into dialogue different traditions and cultures.