Marlies Dekkers did it again

Earlier this week, in a packed Maassilo in Rotterdam, lingerie designer Marlies Dekkers showed her upcoming – spring|summer & fall|winter 2019 collections – during a two-hour extravaganza that included spectacular live entertainment. Marlies: “For over 25 years, it has been my mission to empower women. To make that mission come to life for the stage was a magical experience: an unforgettable celebration of feminine feminism.”

For these collections, Marlies chose culinary legend Julia Child and bad-ass Queen of Blues Billie Holiday as her muses. Dutch musical star Sophia Wezer channeled Billie’s smoky glamour with a spellbinding rendition of ‘God bless the child’, after which the fall|winter 2019 styles were revealed in a choreography that was all about sensuality and self-confidence. Marlies’ favorite dancers and models commanded the stage in a combination of figure-flattering shapes, rich fabrics and luxurious details. Some eyecatchers: a magenta velvet corset with frivolous lace trimming and a shimmery emerald green set, accented with a bejeweled clasp. Old-school glamour with a message that couldn’t be more relevant today: Dare to use your voice!

Thanks to movements like #MeToo and Time’s Up, women worldwide are finally speaking up. To mark this success and celebrate upcoming Women’s Day, Marlies designed an exclusive collection of bad-ass ‘feminine feminist’ t-shirts and will donate a percentage of the sales to a charity called Girls On The Run. She chose this night to launch the collection and sent her models down the runway in shirts emblazoned with slogans such as ‘No sexism’ and ‘Man, it’s good to be a woman!’.
It’s been a great honor -and pleasure!- to have legendary photographer Ellen von Unwerth shoot the last two marlies|dekkers campaigns. Starring in both shoots was burlesque superstar Mosh who was flown in especially for the show. With her killer curves and magical moves, the Russian American performer had the crowd begging for more. Another guest of honor was ‘singing’ DJ Johnny Kelvin who raised the roof with his soulful live vocals.

The final part of the show was an hommage to Julia Child , the kitchen goddess who inspired generations of women to live and cook fearlessly. With this playful collection, featuring delicious pastels and floral prints, Marlies even reintroduced the apron and personally took to the stage to model the look during the grand finale. “Women are still being labeled ‘too much’when they dare to be seen or heard,” Marlies says. “So, I think of Julia and Billie and all the brave, ballsy women that have come before us. And I think of my daughter Zilver and all the women that will come after us. And I know we have to speak our truth. As loud as we can.”