Task: in 2.5 weeks, design a 15 look collection and execute 2 full looks which must include 2 blouse and 2 pant variations, accessories and 1 pair of shoes.

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The previous summer (2015) I'd spent a lot of time listening to disco music and dancing around my apartment. I really wanted to design a collection to go dancing in. I didn't experience the disco era myself, my second-hand experience of it is limited to films, records and anecdotes told to me. Looking back on it, it seems it was the first era to truly embrace expressive solo dancing, and dancing as a way to achieve a trance-like state in western culture (I would argue even without the consumption of drugs, even though they were undoubtedly a part of the same culture). Disco music is upbeat and uplifting and disco dancing can range from silly to sexy.
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A scene in the film "Ex Machina" (2015) sparked my obsession:

What I love about this scene is the contrast between the upbeat music, sexy dance and ominous, threatening atmosphere - this mood reminded me of something I couldn't quite put my finger on for a time.

Aside from disco, I also listened and danced to the music of FKA Twigs' EP M3LL155X (pronounced "Melissa") - especially the song "Figure 8":‍

Certainly not your average dance track with its shifting beats.
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So - Fun, sexy, strange dancing with a side of ominous. But how to translate that mood into a collection? I had the disco influence, but where was the strangeness? That is where Surrealism comes in. Surrealist Art is a favorite of mine - Dr. Seuss books were my favorite, and the dream-like, ominous quality of Salvador Dalì's paintings has always appealed to me. ‍So why not send Salvador Dali to the Disco and look at the spectacle through his eyes? That became the frame for the collection, the underlying fiction guiding the design process.

I took inspiration from disco era fashion, but more as a starting point than a literal reference - I wanted to conserve the essence of "fashion for the dance floor", but bring it into the current landscape of dance music and subculture.

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