Róisín Pierce’s “Nothing Pure Can Stay”: A Poetic Ode to Ephemeral Beauty

13 Mar

Dear Miss Maltese community,

I am in Paris, the city of love, and I have fallen in love with every corner of it, inspired by the 1957 film Funny Face featuring Audrey Hepburn, whose charm still shines in the fashion capital. Audrey Hepburn is my muse, the goddess who transformed my dreams into reality.

Now I am here, sitting in the front row, invited to the Róisín Pierce show Nothing Pure Can Stay.

In her sixth collection, Nothing Pure Can Stay, Róisín Pierce captures the ephemeral nature of beauty, weaving together themes of loss, preservation, and transience. Inspired by Vladimir Nabokov’s idea that “beauty always dies,” Pierce’s work embraces impermanence, urging us to cherish what is fleeting before it fades into memory.

Drawing from literary and artistic influences such as Sylvia Plath’s Death & Co. and Wilson Bentley’s snowflake photography, the collection explores the delicate balance between decay and creation. Whitewashed landscapes and crystalline forms inform a palette of ethereal textures, clusters of hand-manipulated snowberries on crushed silk, cascading tulle petals, and intricate pintucks mimicking the impermanence of melting ice.

A signature element of Pierce’s work, the depth of blue, resurfaces in this collection. Inky hues meet stark whites in innovative textile techniques, powdered silk velvet is smockned into fragmented patterns, dense spills of ruffles are spliced with sharp edges, and Irish crochet intertwines with meticulous pintucks. Each piece is a testament to the preservation of craft, pushing Italian silk, Japanese cotton lace, and deadstock textiles beyond their traditional boundaries.

Photographer : Anastasiya Davydova @anastasidavydova

At the heart of Nothing Pure Can Stay lies a paradox: an attempt to eternalize the non-eternal. While garments endure, the moments they capture remain transient, much like Proust’s reflections on time and memory. This sentiment is carried through every detail, from the air-bubbled tulle floating atop sheer dresses to the lattice bags delicately slung over shoulders.

Supported by the Embassy of Ireland, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, and various esteemed organizations, this collection is a collaborative effort of immense talent. With art direction by Simon B. Morch, styling by Ellie Grace Cumming, and an original composition by Héla Savonniere, the presentation embodies the meticulous craftsmanship and vision that define Róisín Pierce’s work.

Do you remember when we were children?

Though our hearts seemed small, they were, in truth, vast and brimming with love. As we grew older, that boundless heart gradually diminished almost to the point of vanishing, teaching us that nothing can remain pure forever. This collection has helped me rediscover the little girl I once was.