Sartorial queen

GUO PEI'S HAUTE couture dresses aren't so much dresses as grand sartorial fantasies. They feature extravagant designs, luxurious fabrics, sophisticated craftsmanship, and throwbacks to the silhouettes and patterns of yore. Some tower over you like majestic temples steeped in history and tradition. Others are much more contemporary, oozing wit and mischief from every stitch and seam.

Still others are pure flights of fancy: One dress titled Snow Queen is an elaborate dream spun out of silk, mesh, gold and silver threads, as well as hundreds of delicate crystals, gems, beads, sequins, pearls and diamantes. You stand there awestruck, thinking there really must be a Snow Queen in real life who can effortlessly put on a dress that weighs 50 kg and has a 3-metre train - why else would this exist?

Another dress titled Blue-And-White Porcelain has a magnificent skirt and train that fan out like a porcelain plate. As a tribute to traditional Chinese cobalt-glazed pottery, the dress comes dangerously close to kitsch. But Guo pulls it off with her immaculate folding of the circular skirt and train. She completes the outfit with an ornate headset reminiscent of those worn by emperors.