See all the highlights from Mary Katrantzou's London Fashion Week show…
We know her for digital prints and surface embellishment. But last night London's envelope-pushing designer Mary Katrantzou turned her attention to the notion of fabric itself, with a collection that featured foam and plastic fused on to heavy-duty damask and wool. Here are the highlights of LFW's most mind-bending show so far…
It All Started With Styrofoam When we saw the empty catwalk was a carpet of pink peaked foam, like the inside of a packing crate, we knew we were in for something special.
The Inspiration Was 'Heritage vs Techy' She thought about Victorian maximalism, especially the Victorian horror of empty spaces (otherwise known as kenophobia) but then pushed it through a blender with modernist linear shapes and clean lines. The result – billowing Belle Epoque shapes such as wool skirts gathered into huge ruffles, embellished with panels of foam and plastic.
Traditional Fabrics Were Given A Twist Dark, ornate damasks were embroidered with plastic strands, flocked tulle was offset with crystal and old-fashioned rose prints were spliced with organza pleats. The effect? As if Victorian wallpaper had travelled through a time machine and come to life as a futuristic dress.
Duffel Coats Are So NOT A Basic We never thought of them as a fashion statement but that was before we saw Mary's – made of eye-popping jacquards in pink and purple, with shiny plastic hoods and pockets made of sheets of plastic honeycomb.
It Was All About 60s-Wallpaper Colours The palette had strong echoes of the Miuccia Prada – off-kilter combos of banana yellow and pastel blue, orange and khaki and accents of chemical-looking babydoll pink.
We Want The Whole Collection But are we tall enough for calf-length wool flounces? Thank goodness for the velvet wedges…
