Escape from Versailles — 2018

An Escape from Versailles

Though unnamed, Firas Abou Hamdan’s 2018 collection spoke volumes. Inspired by the story of Marie Antoinette and her symbolic escape from the grandeur of Versailles, the collection explored the tension between royal restraint and personal liberation — between the weight of expectations and the freedom of self-expression.

“It’s as if she was running away — stripping herself of the world’s demands, piece by piece,” Firas explains.

The collection imagined Marie Antoinette mid-flight: a woman once draped in heavy gowns, corsets, jewels, long sleeves, and elaborate floral hats — now pulling herself out of that life. The pieces in this collection were intentionally incomplete, light, and raw. The silhouettes remained wide and dramatic, but shortened and unweighted — the form of royalty without its burden.

Instead of the rich, dimensional embroidery of her era, Firas flattened the embellishments — as if the texture had been pressed down, faded, almost erased. The sleeves? Gone. The volume? Reduced. The essence? Fully present.

“The dresses were still big,” he adds, “but they were sheer — شفّافة — like she was holding onto what was left while letting go of everything else.”

The color palette was soft but bold — pastels, off-whites, muted blacks. Not loud, but brave. Not flashy, but unapologetic. Every stitch echoed a woman’s refusal to be caged, and her quiet, yet daring defiance.

And yet, one detail remained untouched: the hair. Elaborately styled, full of curls and volume — reminiscent of the era’s excess. In Firas’ vision, it was the one piece of identity she chose to keep.

“She removed everything — but she left the hair. Because it was hers.”

The bridal gowns in this collection followed the same narrative: royal and voluminous, but incomplete. Shoulders exposed, sleeves gone — as though the bride herself had torn through tradition, running not away from something, but toward who she truly is.

This wasn’t just fashion. It was escape, freedom, and transformation — told in fabric.