The icing on the delicious cake that was London’s Fall 2014 collections came in the form of a riot of surface play, with designers enlivening looks with all variety of embellishments, from a jacquard of badges at Mary Katrantzou to Roksanda Ilincic’s confetti dress.
Katrantzou ditched her signature digital prints to striking effect, as new ingredients such as pleats and lace came into play. The star looks were a series of sweatshirts, minis and floor-length dresses honed from a guipure-style patchwork of badges and crests that with their geometric formations and tones, like bottle green, dark blue and ruby, had an Art Deco feel. LBDs carried asymmetric strips of pleats flowing from the shoulder, and suits shimmered with subtle animal prints. Katrantzou’s transition into new surface expressions went through an awkward phase a couple of seasons ago, but here she hit her stride.
An Arte Povera undercurrent flowed through Ilincic’s unique collection via materials like felted wool, fabric collages, patchworks, and a bits-and-bobs approach to embellishments. Silhouettes alternated between sophisticated pencil-thin ones with peplums, and full-skirted peasant shapes and culottes. The vibrant tones were inspired by conceptual artist Mel Bochner, and sculptor and installation artist Jessica Stockholder — ideas that were particularly felt in the line’s textured confetti dress covered in colored squares and circles.
Christopher Kane, who delivered one of the season’s darker collections, piped industrial black nylon dresses with licks of fur following the shoulder line, or edging deep v-necks and hems. A soft pink tailored coat carried a sprinkling of black crystals on its skirt, like raindrops, and clean-cut pastel mini dresses incorporated sculptural waves of fabric as sleeves. The fabric fusions on some of the looks were innovative, merging pink lace with black nylon material, for instance, but most impressive were the final group of monochrome dresses, made from wispy sheets of chain-stitched organza that folded open like a book, positioned at an angle to expose all the layers, or forming sculptural peaks on the two slam-dunk finale cocktail numbers. The designer also unveiled his first full collection of leather goods, bedecked with the signature “safety buckle” fastening that featured in his first collection in 2007.
(l-r) A look from Christopher Kane, Roksanda Ilincic, and Mary Katrantzou.
(l-r) Courtesy the designer/ Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images, Courtesy the designer
Colorful bonded patchwork-based compositions evoking the bold designs of the Memphis movement carried Jonathan Saunders’ eclectic collection, which married oversized menswear-inspired outerwear and knits with lovely feminine creations (think a dove-gray sequin skirt and languid pink silk dress in an all-over checkerboard motif). The collection had a lot of personality, folding in quirky accents, such as a strip of metallic blue glitter edging the hem of an asymmetric two-tone smock in black and caramel, and mashing up prints and volumes.
Matthew Williamson’s debut collection with Danielle Scutt as head of design proved another graphic moment, presented on a black-and-white starburst carpet that later surfaced on a gown and mini dress, the latter shot with lines of hologram stars. Known for his Ibiza-scented boho creations, this collection, with its skinny leathers, crystal-studded sweaters and tinted furs, trod more of a disco path rooted in the Seventies. In a league of their own, however, were the brocade tapestry coat inspired by Turkish carpets, and a polka dot ostrich feather mini dress said to be the most expensive piece ever created by the label.
Knitwear genius Mark Fast’s young-at-heart, spongy, grungy creations cut a different, winter-appropriate mood from his body-beautiful cobweb creations of yore. In the mix were chunky robes, long straight skirts and draped off-the-shoulder dresses in a weighty chevron knit. The styling, with its creepers and unkempt hair, added a cool rock-cum-Mod edge to the mood. Fast’s workmanship shone in a series of knitted floor-length dresses that had athletic vest-style tops and wild skirts honed from free-flowing threads, which added great movement to the show.
(l-r) A look from Jonathan Saunders, Matthew Williamson, and Mark Fast.
(l-r) Photo by Tristan Fewings, Ben A. Pruchnie, Anthony Harvey / Getty Images
