At 'Arbiter Elegantiarum' Corrie Nielsen showed us a sharp mix of Victorian and contemporary Japanese sillhouettes, teamed with a use of strong colour for Spring 2012.

With a backdrop of an eerie warehouse lit by hundreds of lightbulbs suspended from the ceiling, it was obvious Corrie Nielsen wanted to create a dramatic ambience. Her inspiration was clear, drawing on sillhouttes from the Victorian era and fusing them with contemporary Japanese aesthetics. The 19th Century men's tailoring was turned on its side by surprising elements of each garment. Each piece had a different twist; some with unquestionably meticulous pleating, others with suprising use of colour. Her tailoring was seamless, and the statement sections of the garment were at one with the clean silhoutte.

The collection begun with strong monochrome colours, paying homage to the dark 19th Century of which the show was inspired by. Corrie Nielsen then introduced a bold lime/yellow dress which was one of the statement pieces of the collection.

All in all, the show was strongly themed and managed to salvage the classical elements of the time period of which it was based on. Nielsen cleverly and uniquely twisted each garment to make them contemporary and current through her use of fabric, colour and texture.