London Fashion Week: 10 Best Looks From Mary Katrantzou Fall 2016
All the best looks from LFW FW16
By Harper’s Bazaar Singapore Team - published
Hearts, unicorns, stars and young love. Set against a foil backdrop and hundreds of silver balloons that was all very Warhol-ian, Mary Katrantzou took on romance at the American rodeo. "The Longest Ride" this thankfully was not as the designer cribbed cowboy yokes and fine detailing, melding it with her vibrant colors and textures. She said it best herself: "Rodeo and Juliet."
There was a Fifties feel to her silhouettes—the patterned pencil skirts and pleated flares, all paired up with tone-on-tone collared sweaters or blouses with an explosion of color and motif (as always, Katrantzou's clothes beg to be viewed up-close for the special details and surprises she adds in, like cut-out arrows, glitter hearts hidden in sturdy tweeds).
Perhaps the best part of a Katrantzou show—even if color and print and energy isn't your cup of sartorial tea—is that the designer clearly loves and enjoys what she does, which is infectious. She must study the other great pattern play masters, like Prada, and then try to best herself. Black and white zig-zag sleeves on a minidress with a silver-embroidered cowpoke yoke and a blue multicolored heart jacquard just should not work for anyone. And yet it does. As did so many other wonderful imaginative exits.
Leather and fur jackets got the works here, too. They pushed the boundaries of what can be done, spliced, colored and printed—and all the bright motifs that the designer employed on silk was used on mink and leather. The black leather jacket was reborn as a heart-beating, leopard-printed moto jacket meant to be worn with a babushka-style scarf and swingy pleated chiffon skirt.
If only life could always be hearts and butterflies as Katrantzou literally suggested on her runway. But for those days when life feels a little ho-hum, maybe throwing on one of her butterfly sweaters will help make things seem a little brighter.
From: Harper's BAZAAR US