Wet curls and glossed skin, scallop edged gloves and lace browed glasses, fluffy flats and stingray shaped bags: these were the statements with which Simone Rocha’s Spring Summer collection was accented.
Here, the clothes themselves riffed on themes past; croissant saddle bags, sheer nude, pink netting, crochet-cum-embroidery, uneven Flinstones hems, black silk.
It wasn’t a totally unpredictable collection from the designer, only, in many ways it was. To be unpredictable would presume it wasn’t exciting, but this absorbed your attention and made you stare. Most prominent in this, were the bright red floral looks that referenced the sort of kitsch take on Chinese red circa early 2000s.
At Marques ‘ Almeida, again, the audience knew it would be getting denim – and presumably, this is what everyone wanted, given not one day of London Fashion Week passed without sight of one of their classic collarless jackets – but how it would be delivered was where the intrigue fell.
The Portuguese duo answered this at midday, showing super turn-ups, black denim and halterneck dresses. Elsewhere hospital gown style ties hung loose (a la Craig Green), and glistening stones made for adornment.
Bright colour – introduced over the last few seasons – made its biggest statement yesterday, with several chiffon dresses made from patchwork rainbows, and great collarless leather jackets in yellow and lime.
First up at Fashion East was Helen Lawrence, whose opening look palette – green, yellow, cream and light blue – was highly delectable. The model carried a net bag of bananas (later editions held broccoli and sweetcorn) making for a homespun character, accentuated by the undone vibe of Lawrence’s pieces.
A knit designer first and foremost, last season’s felt-like textures were swapped for ribbing and seams, with a side of baby pink latex and stonewashed denim. There was a slight Scandi sensibility, but the American footballer shoulders and uneven surfaces reclaimed this from any pigeonholing.
At Louise Alsop, two clean looks featuring straight neoprene dresses opened, reimaging the Louise Alsop girl of AW14. Later looks followed suit, with streamline silhouettes broken only by horizontally cut up jersey.
Wide, layered shapes akin to her first Fashion East slot also made a play, with last season’s mint replaced by bright yellow, while horseshoe metal motifs clung to the neck by black leather strands and chain belts were adopted by the midriff; breezy monochrome mini dresses bore heat transfer patches.
Finally, new gun Ed Marler injected grandeur to proceedings via rich fabrics, epic proportions and crown-topped bandanas.
Bullet proof vests here were dressed up as exquisite basques with hand stitched gold embroidery, the classic 90’s orange lined bomber jacket was elongated and produced in faux fur, and diamante hung from blacked out sunglasses.
It was fantastical and correlated directly with Marler’s personal style, culminating in a wedding dress before the full model line up took to the floor all at once.
Track of the Day: 'I Do I Do I Do I Do I Do' by Abba at Ryan Lo.
Want more? Read up on the rest of the week here.
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