Like no other city in the fashion circuit, London has the ability to encapsulate the mood of the times in a pitch perfect way. Some of the designers based here seem to have sensed the revolutionary air, which is now raging its way through the
Like no other city in the fashion circuit, London has the ability to encapsulate the mood of the times in a pitch perfect way. Some of the designers based here seem to have sensed the revolutionary air, which is now raging its way through the Mediterranean part of Africa. Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos were inspired by revolutionary colours – Bolshevik Red, Yellow for non-violent resistance – and worked them into their draped gowns and graphic prints. There were hints of military too with a set of long tailored coats; occasionally freed of their sleeves they looked more punk rebel than officer on duty. "It’s a reflection of youth and the tensions going around" the two designers said backstage after their show "but more in a subconscious way; we are not going political". One has to be careful, directly relating current events with a designer’s vision. Most collections are not intended to make a political comment, but they unambiguously show that the creative heads behind them are aware of the mood of the times.
J.W. Anderson titled his show The Fear of Naturalism and clad his models in a slim silhouette. Deconstructed panels of sharp pleating, fitted tailoring, and narrow trousers spoke for a chic severity as the look of choice for the Anderson woman. She was pale, but neat, slightly unreal though, like Carey Mulligan in her latest release Never Let Me Go, where she plays a clone with a tender heart. For Ann-Sofie Back Atelier it is important, too, that "it does not get too ladylike" as she stated and sent her models out in minimal, taupe coloured dresses. Richard Nicoll left his body con looks of last season behind and showed a collection of relaxed and uncomplicated beauty. The fabrics as well as the silhouettes showed a 1920s influence, dropped waists, slightly masculine forms realised with very feminine materials, like translucent organza and super light chiffon.
More overtly revolutionary girls were on show at Louise Gray’s presentation at the On/Off Space. Influenced by the Glasgow Girls, a group of female artists working in all media including textiles in the 1890s, the designer pushed the traditional Scottish tartan over the top. Reworking it in quirky colour combinations and 3D effects, she put forth clothes that make Scottish club kids from the 1980s look like female activists in a parallel universe, where bulbous balloon hats (a collaboration with the hatter Nasir Mazhar) give a hint of the wearer’s status in society. On a slightly less hyperbolic note, the grande dame of Britsh Punk, Vivienne Westwood channelled her vision of the red label into an eclectic array of girly frocks and playful accessories.
On the print front, Mary Katrantzou was leading the way with a tour the force of floral motifs and their ways of how to apply them onto the body; porcelain inspired, but taken into a hyper reality of clashing colours and morphologically advanced cocktail dresses. Erdem opted for a more sombre tone. Dark tie-dye prints and digitalised sequin patterns could be seen on pretty dresses with plunging necklines. Those revealing V shapes were also spotted at Christopher Kane and let us look forward to a sexy winter season that has not lost its lust for parties amid all the political turmoil. But critical times always have a counter tendency, craving for opulence and splendour to conceal the biting reality outside palace doors and penthouse flats. "I liked the idea of the fin de siècle and the belle époque; of decadence, uncertainty and a golden period, with the notion of something new beginning from something old" said Giles Deacon. He sent out the most glamorous collection of the week, feminine with cinched waists, a hidden sexuality lurking under the embellished surfaces of sensuous gowns. Rich furs, sparkling crystals, and heavy brocade all need a big ball, which feels a bit like the last dance on the volcano at the moment.
Text by George Ghon
