LFW Diary AW12: Ada Zanditon (part 1)

SIMIA MINERALIS HD720 from Thomas Knights on Vimeo.

When I first watched the film presentation to accompany Ada Zanditon’s evocative new collection ‘Simia Mineralis’, I was both stunned and scared in equal measure. A striking and stunning representation of the new range, the film features flame haired model Skye Victoria directed by filmmaker Thomas Knights.

Shot at Dennis Severs’ House, the plot sees a regency maiden relaxing in an ornate house enjoying tea and cupcakes by the fireplace and retiring to bed. It’s at this point that the protagonist’s evening takes a turn for the worse seeing our maiden awake from her slumber in a zombie-like state with raven hair, covered in scratches and bruises.

A short that could have been plucked straight from the mind of Tim Burton himself, the sky is like a churning cauldron and there are horrible sounds and strobing lights accompanying the music, which gets louder and louder to an almost suffocating extent.

Trapped and being chased through a gothic mansion, the protagonist is depicted screaming, recoiling and snarling in between the flashing lights until, when the strobing stops, we see her discover an unconscious – perhaps dead – version of herself on the floor.

Rising from her bed an unquantifiable amount of time later, everything is as it was and the house is still. A fantastic concept this is one of the most progressive and relevant depictions of fashion I’ve seen of late and there is something new to spot with each viewing.