Julie Kegels has a sharp instinct for the way women manage an entrance. Her latest collection, “Face Value“, is less about revelation than about calibration – how much to show, how long to hold back. She’s examining the gap between self and projection – and suggesting that the gap is where the real power sits. In a culture that mistakes exposure for honesty, she proposes that mystery still has value. That’s why the collection’s best idea is the double. Shadows are printed, mirrored, refracted in sequins. One model’s silhouette reappears on another look’s dress. Chandelier scraps cast real light; faux-crystal shadows lie flat on silk. The effect isn’t decorative so much as pointed: the image precedes the person. The zigzag leather masks land somewhere between superhero and fetish. They conceal – but theatrically. Control on the surface, vulnerability underneath. As in case of Kegels’ work, proportion does most of the work. Boiled-wool sweaters are shrunken and tense; collars climb the neck. Circular sleeves push the arms outward, nudging the body into a faintly defiant stance – a subtle piece of behavioral tailoring. Other sleeves are cut far back, pitching the torso forward, as if the wearer is slightly ahead of herself. She’s there, but the moment you blink – she’s already somewhere else.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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