Crystallised brooches, postmodern utility belts and Bowie-style platforms all apply this season, according to the SS16 runways. What fun...
“Accessories are like vitamins to fashion,” once declared Anna Dello Russo. “As such, you should use them liberally.” While the self-confessed maximalist isn’t shy of an outlandish bangle or 40, she’ll certainly be spoilt for choice this season, as the S/S16 runways played host to a endless stream of extraordinary accoutrements. From the fetishized body chains at Alexander McQueen to Marc Jacobs’ star-spangled lace-up booties and Saint Laurent’s grungy incarnation of the classic diamond tiara – each of these outstanding creations added an exclamation mark to the looks they lovingly adorned. Here, we pinpoint five of Spring/Summer 2016's finest.
The Platform Boots by Miu Miu
A riotous medley of references – Art Deco patterns, glam rock gothica and a heady dose of 70s fetishism – rippled through Miuccia Prada’s powerful Spring/Summer 2016 collection for Miu Miu. Diaphanous negligees with racoon tail charms added discordant whimsy to neat button-up shirts and checked hobble skirts. Op Art printed tea-dresses grazed the shins of models in knee-high sport socks, lavishly jewelled headpieces and filigree heels, rendered in pastel suede and metallic leathers. Yet in a line-up of eclectic, 'look-at-me' pieces, it was the towering, lace-up platform boots which had editors and style enthusiasts reaching for the zoom button on their smartphones – and deservedly so.
Kenzo's Post-Modern Utility Belt
According to designers Humberto Leon and Carole Lim, the Kenzo woman was out "travelling the world, picking up souvenirs wherever she went," this season. This amounted to vibrant cutout maillots, sandal-cum-waders, second-skin crop tops that could easily double as bandeaus, 70s-inspired patchwork skirts and perhaps most intriguingly: leather utility belts, loaded with poppable pouches in enough shapes and shades to make The Memphis Group proud.
The Translucent Hat by Maison Margiela
'Lo-fi, sci-fi' read the concise and somewhat cryptic tagline for John Galliano's Spring/Summer 2016 collection for Maison Margiela. Which, relatively speaking, it was – and so much more. The designer deftly intertwined 1950s-inspired silhouettes with Japanese styling nuances and cosmic, space cadet-style fabrications (Metallic leather! Mirrored glass! Fishnets! Leopard print!) in his own inimitable fashion, which felt both elegantly grounded and out of this world – epitomised by this sublime headpiece.
Louis Vuitton's Cyber-Punk Chain Bag
Bubblegum-pink leather, silver chains and a fierce monogram logo pattern join forces in this stellar handbag from Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2016 collection, in which Nicholas Ghesquière treated Vuitton-o-philes to a "post cyber" style frontier inspired by the Japanese anime character, Evangelion. In addition to the eye-popping carryall, Vuitton's post cyber-punk uniform also includes spaceship-printed trousers, structured motorcyle leathers and metal-embellished skirts (which undoubtedly double as body armour at night).
The Crystal Creature Brooch by Gucci
Pinned to the collars of irridescent silk dresses, lavishly embroidered bombers or bow-tie blouses of Alessandro Michele's sophomore collection for Gucci you'll find crystallised brooches which take the form of ladybirds, spiders and bees. Much like the wire-framed opticals which played out on heavy rotation throughout the show, these small but mighty embellishments evoked just the right amount of vintage nostalgia.
