AS BLACK AS MIDNIGHT ON A MOONLESS NIGHT

Photography by Alex Salinas, all clothes by Veronique Branquinho

A BLOG is delighted to present Dean Mayo Davies as our latest external author, as we showcase his work – thorough yet concise articles which are truly relevant in the world of A MAGAZINE.

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AS BLACK AS MIDNIGHT ON A MOONLESS NIGHT. The lynchpin or at least Lynch-influenced editorial photographed by Alex Salinas in A#6, curated by Veronique Branquinho.

Years after its publication, this foreboding shoot carries another resonance. What was at the time a celebration of Veronique’s archive 1998-2007, nearly ten years’ worth of it, is now viewed as perhaps one of the most definitive print celebrations of everything the designer encapsulated.

The recent closure of her company came with a heavy heart, but here, on paper, there is the black-gilded soul that built Branquinho into such a developed, evocative voice. The darkness, the ‘romance for the doom generation’ that formed the part-core of her work explored over 26 pages with models Anouck Lepère, Kim Peers, Tamara Van der Perren, Merel, Lara Streck and Gersande Coudyser.

Her gang is deeper than surface aggression however. It’s claret-red and sophisticated. A quiet brutalism, her silent assassins wear silks and le smokings. And if subcultural groups – teds, mods, rockers, punks, ska boys – are so important to the history of contemporary fashion and youth identity, then these bruised, pristine girls are Veronique’s very own subculture.

It’s a celluloid moment that has somehow remained timeless – as enigmatic today as ever. Her mood is one still so relevant to fashion and fashion culture. The embodiment of eternal.

Photography by Alex Salinas, all clothes by Veronique Branquinho

Photography by Alex Salinas, all clothes by Veronique Branquinho.

Photography by Alex Salinas, all clothes by Veronique Branquinho

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