Beautiful ball gowns and bugs at Louis Heal

Fashion newcomer Louis Heal is already causing quite a stir in the fashion world. After recently graduating from London College of Fashion, whose alumni boasts many known designers including Jimmy Choo and James Long, Heal is already a favourite among celebrities. Heal’s beautiful made-to-measure evening wear that hails the female form has been spotted on pop sensation Jessie J and the beautiful Elle Macpherson. 

For his SS13 collection, Heal has taken inspiration from some unusual places as he challenges the accepted perceptions of beauty, transforming the typically unattractive into the beautiful. Looking at flies and beetles, he has studied the anatomy of insects and used their exoskeletons as a foundation for his designs, seeing his pieces as “a delicate and beautiful case that protects the contents beneath”. 

Insect wings are delicately reproduced in billowing silk capes and draped fabrics in his pieces with their fragility being replicated with sheer mesh fabric. Tiny metal flies decoratively embellish the necklines of beautiful cocktail dresses and evening gowns. Black leather with sassy strapping is like the hard case of a beetle, and their iridescent green shimmer is mimicked with layers of green and blue wing-shaped pieces of fabric on narrow trousers. Heal’s pieces are elegant, provocative and artistic all at the same time.

Hollie Bracciale
Photos: Courtesy of Louis Heal