“She’s an outsider, a kleptomaniac, a hoarder,” said Christopher Kane of his current muse, who wore plastic-bag headscarves and rubbish-encrusted shoes. “She creates her own beauty.”
Leather coats were corrugated to look like cardboard, dress seams burst with feathers, coats were scattered with sparkling keepsakes and cocktail frocks were edged with maribou. It was a celebration of oddness, and also the power of London. This is a city where designers dare to think differently, from JW Anderson’s confounding take on cocktail dressing (stiff neoprene ruffs and zip-off flares) to Burberry’s upending of the entire catwalk system. This was the label’s last show before it switches to a see-it, buy-it runway model in September. It marked the end of a catwalk era and the collection, which hits stores in June, was shot through with a morning-after mood. Day and night mixed as models in clumpy snakeskin boots put coats — shearling parkas, oversized peacoats and high-shine patent trenches — over sequin shifts in peacock colours. Evening wear is not Burberry’s strong suit, but these frocks looked fresh on the Brit girls Edie Campbell and Ruth Bell. They also looked easy to copy, and the high street will be running up versions already — one reason why Burberry wants to show moments, not months, in advance.
“AV Robertson is one to watch, and not just because she had Marc Jacobs frow
Harder to copy were Erdem’s strict Edwardian silhouettes in Klimt-like metallics, and Mary Katrantzou’s rhinestone-cowgirl looks.
London is becoming the global capital of cocktail wear, but there was a dearth of credible daywear on the catwalks. Daks disappointed. The brand has a reputation for great tailoring, but you would only wear its sheer black looks at a funeral parlour. Similarly, AF Vandervorst used to offer edgy but wearable tailoring, but the best it could come up with was a red balaclava, fishnets and a belted jumper. Topshop Unique’s idea of daywear was sheer, thong-revealing leggings, but it made up for it with a great array of coats. Gareth Pugh fixated on exquisitely crafted power suiting, but his overblown shoulder pads brought little new to the fashion conversation.
Over at Mulberry, bosses hope the new designer, Johnny Coca, can turn around disastrous sales and sliding profits. Every look came with a different bag, including a new version of the classic Bayswater that unpopped at the sides so it could be stored flat. Coca, a Céline alumnus, treated coats as an accessory. He brought new polish and modernity to the trad British leather house, and insiders tell me the bags are keenly priced. I hope that’s enough to woo back lost customers.
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There were new trends — luxury tracksuits, sweetie-wrapper metallics and glam-rock inspired dressing up — and the designer to watch is AV Robertson, whose playful embroidered clothes caught the eye — and not just because she had Marc Jacobs frow at her debut show. Showing in London for the first time in 15 years, Alexander McQueen was in a class of its own. The heavily pregnant Sarah Burton chose the night as the theme — its fragrance, creatures and secrets. Bondage tuxedos showed off tailoring prowess, while barely there gowns, beaded with exotic birds, moons and stars, took the breath away. Fragile and powerfully feminine, it was McQueen to the max.