Design students blend vintage styles with modern concepts to have fun with lingerie

The somewhat misleading title of Interfili?re Hong Kong's lingerie exhibition, 'The Spirit of Mad Women', did nothing to deter intimate apparel enthusiasts from attending a cocktail and runway show at the Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday.

'The title and concept actually refer to the hit American TV series Mad Men, about 1950s New York,' said Dr Kristina Shin (second left), professor of textiles and clothing design at Polytechnic University. In collaboration with leading European lingerie design consultancy Concepts Paris, Shin's students created the collection based on 1950s and 1960s lingerie trends, including pointed bras and nipped waist panties.

'Shape wear, such as girdles and corsets, is definitely making a comeback, but as a fashion element,' Shin said. 'People want to have fun with their underwear, but without the discomfort of old. With all the cutting-edge material in the industry today, we can do away with all the heavy construction they used in the past.'

Final-year student Alice Wong Chee-ting (far left) created a piece using digital print technology to simulate a nipped waist and embroidery. 'Learning from the past is the best way to create new concepts,' she said. 'It was interesting to research the history of lingerie, but in my design, the focus was blending vintage style with modern fashion.'