This morning in Paris, attendees of Viktor & Rolf’s men’s Spring/Summer
2011 show got a real treat: a live, semi-unplugged performance by La
Roux, the English synth-pop band whose frontwoman, Elly Jackson, melds
the ginger-hued vulnerability of Molly Ringwald with androgynous New
Wave styling. “We asked her to come with just a keyboard,” says Viktor
Horsting, half of the design duo, “as we want our men’s shows to be very
intimate.”
Jackson performed her hit “Bulletproof” in a look from Viktor
& Rolf’s ‘Monsieur’ line that was made-to-measure for the pop star: a
blue silk jacket with a pearl print shirt and black tuxedo pants. “We
love her authenticity,” says Rolf Snoeren. “In a world of fabricated
stars, it’s refreshing to hear and see someone so unique. She dresses in
a masculine way, and she deliberately undermines expectations by doing
so, which is why we thought it would be cool to dress her in our men’s
clothes.” Adds Horsting, “We asked her to wear high heels under her
suit, but she refused. We love that.”
