Ideally every fashion show should have an intelligent playwright present. It sets a certain tone that the Peaches and Pixie Geldof double act, or even the cast of Hollyoaks, cannot. Neither Pixie nor Peaches was present at Nicole Farhi’s show at the Royal Opera House yesterday which is possibly a first. But Farhi’s husband, Sir David Hare, was, hovering supportively in the background.
I always think that Farhi’s clothes are the sort that Sir David’s more appealing, intelligent, female characters would wear. She has the knack of identifying the early onset of a challenging trend and distilling it into the wearable before it goes completely mainstream. Hers is also the label to which women who disapprove of fashion turn for lovely clothes. That’s quite a sleight of hand.
For winter 2009, for example, she’s taken the short-sleeve-tunic-dress-overjumper trend and, instead of doing it in leather (bit flashy) or PVC (bit bondage and anyway, who could trust their dry cleaner with that?), produced them in graphite-coloured wool. How understated.
There were black silk full skirts (another big trend) and pretty, cap-sleeved Fifties-style dresses in ochre or brick red, with velvet ribbon sashes toeing the line between demure and prissy. She’s got the half-sleeved kimono coat off-pat as well, in shiny black grosgrain, an adult interpretation of the slimy, shiny techno fabrics around.
Note the short-sleeve leitmotiv, because it’s going to be big news in next winter’s coats and jackets. Yes that’s right winter coats with what amounts to one sleeve between them. Things are definitely looking up for the glove industry.
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Farhi’s gloves were chocolate leather, fringed and rather dashing. The first half of the collection seemed to have been conceived as their showcase. Hopefully they won’t cost as much as Burberry’s £500 S&M black patent gauntlets. Bora Aksu, the Turkish-born graduate of Central St Martins College of Art and Design, had plenty of friends at his show, but no celebrities and few from the press. This despite him having been heralded as the next big thing four years ago.
Aksu had lots of ideas, some good, some in need of a good lie down. A khaki dress with a waterfall of chiffon ruffles would have been dramatic enough for most people, but it also had huge sleeves that joined at the back to form a bubble-hemmed cape. Other dresses consisted of midnight blue and similarly murky sheer slips, layered in artful symmetry or, if you’re feeling less charitable, slightly skewwhiff chaos.
Aksu’s main theme flyaway chiffon anchored with punky, chain-festooned ankle boots was on the money and is bound to be played out on the high street next winter. But the quality of the clothes was uneven and a few of the pumpkin-shaped capes veered into Hallowe’en territory.