Yao Zhang
Xianfen Gu
Tina Elisabeth Reiter
Joseph Turvey
Joseph Turvey
Jennifer Franziska and Maclennan Murray
Hye Rim Hong
Hana Cha
Charlotte Simpson
Show opener Xianfen Gu faced up to the not inconsiderable challenge with intricate laser-cut tailoring and blood-red stylized photo prints; tempering the mysticism of the Far East with the rigours of Savile Row. Decidedly masculine tailoring was knocked off-kilter with asymmetric fastenings and staggered hem lengths, or with some more of that paradoxically tough-yet-delicate cutwork lacquer panelling. A show-stopping red maxi dress – all plisse pleats, chiffon layers, spaghetti straps and dropped hems – readdressed the East/West dialogue, in fact, this was a theme that ran though many of the MA collections. Gu’s take stood out thanks to a considered reappropriation of androgyny, an edited colour spectrum (navy, cream, red and black) and the use of crisp white shirting – a stylistic technique that anchored the unexpected in the everyday.
There were textures a-plenty in Hye Rim Hong’s collection – from soft and fluffy mohair to brushed wool, stiffened silks and silver-shard embellishments. These were combined with ombre-spayed patterns and wide block stripes – but nothing felt excessive, overworked or laboured, due to Hong’s sensitive consideration of silhouette and proportion – which also followed the variational theme – layered and long or cocoon-like and curved. Contrast fabric panels and well-placed stripes distracted and confused the eye, and the designer utilsed such trickery to an advantage, creating complexity in the simple, and interest in the norm. Collection highlights included a cape-shift combo with a perfectly matched stripe, a tailored coat with textured sleeve and yoke, and a nude tunic replete with gold metal shavings.
Charlotte Simpson took Phoebe Philo’s directive on modern minimalism and gave it her own individual stamp. The resultant collection was elegant and refined with a rebel-London attitude – plunging v-backs and daring thigh-high drapes on a pleat-front, one shoulder maxi dress. A bead encrusted, swing back tunic looked particularly refined, so to did the pitch perfect jumpsuits and the curved fit metallic tops that married technical finesse with a sartorial flair. The jewel in Simpson’s crown was a floor-length cape that almost seemed to groan under the weight of its heavy bead embellishment. Fashion for fashions sake, but ultimately wearable – a well-thought out lesson in modern glamour.
Hana Chaa – winner of the Womenswear Collection of the Year accolade – showed a remarkably self-assured collection that was dominated by a pitch perfect palette (unsurprising then that post-show research revealed the designer had previously studied Fine Art). It comprised of black and aubergine-tinged purples, lifted with well-placed accents of gold and a punchy indigo blue, lending a surprising vibrancy to Chaa’s loose and unstructured silhouettes. Maxi and midi-lengths were anchored with longline boxy tailoring, wide leg shapes and deconstructed hem lengths. An expressive, painterly arc bought to mind Sonia Delaunay’s Ballets Russes collaboration – not a stretch when the collection is titled ‘Diffusion between Proletariats and Bourgeois’ and the designer herself claims it to be an exploration of fashion variances within class and society.
Second on schedule and winner of the Menswear Collection of the year award, Tina Elisabeth Reiter blended Dickensian-worthy vagrancy with whimsical borrowed-from-Austria style references – notably a soft leather all-in-one breeches and boots combo, held up by braces. Pleated bell-sleeve blazers, super-wide leg culottes cut to look like skirts and drop crotch gingham trousers contributed to a down-and-out wardrobe that wouldn’t have looked out of place on the flamboyant Artful Dodger. Reiter paired muted, and muddy of-the-earth shades with vibrant tangerine, the shade softened by cotton twills and repeat prints. Pattern also appeared in the form of gingham – on scarves tied round the neck with casual abandon, on shirts or curved sleeve panels. The vagrancy vibe culminated in frayed, knitted tunics and heavy wool great-coats – classic and traditional menswear silhouettes that managed to look fresh and exciting.
In a challenge to the established menswear code, Joseph Turvey emblazoned silk shirts, loose blazers, and relaxed T-shirts with his own, distinctive illustrations. The audience was confronted with powerful illustrated characters, complete with intense and unflinching stares and a tough-guy aura, an aura that was enhanced by the addition of street and sportswear inspired shorts and blazers. But this is a Turvey world, and nothing is quite as it seems – those shorts come in a lemon and white check, or in a hot-pink daisy lace. Textured knitted tops have alternate sheer and delicate inserts and come in clashing neon orange and pink, the in-your-face colours also repeated on relaxed tailored separates. Fun and jovial, yes, but this was a serious collection that thought around tradition without resorting to clichés, and perhaps, most crucially of all, presenting a collection that was up-beat, energetic and refused play by the established menswear rules.
Photography : Katy Davies
Posted by: Vicki Loomes
