Perspex, neon, cable ties as hairbands...Christopher Kane's SS16 collection had it all going on...
The moment the invite for Christopher Kane's show drops onto our desks is always a Big Fashion Moment at Team MC. What will the Scots wonder have in store for us this season?
Well, before we were allowed to see his latest SS16 collection today, he set us an extra challenge. Having raced across town to Fenchurch Street in the City and hurtled in the lifts up to the top of a skyscraper, we had to clamber (or stagger, depending on heel height) up further flights of stone steps, winding past the lush indoor Sky Garden and into a giant neon-mirrored set.
Citing 'crash and repair' and the idea of drawing on 'destruction' to create something new, Kane's vibe was raw and graphic, with a futuristic undercurrent.
Here's SS16 according to Christopher...
1. It's Neon
Specifically yellow, pink and orange. Acid colours have run through some of his best previous collections and this time they came in the form of layers of clashing lace, and rendered into asymmetric shift dresses
2. It's Plastic (or perspex)
The show's futuristic vibe was underscored with sharp perspex panels of block colour inserted into the necklines and bodies of dresses
3. Security As Accessories - It's A Thing
Maybe CK was thinking about the commodification of women, maybe he was thinking about fashion as protective armour, maybe he was thinking about technology's impact....all we know is - cable ties (you know the strips of tough plastic looped round packets that have to be ripped off to get them open?) are the new hairband. And necklace.
4. Tassels Are So Much More Than A Trim
Long, luxuriant swathes of the stuff swished from the shoulders of sweatshirts, the hems of skirts, and asymmetrically across the fronts of dresses
5. Sheer Is Bliss
From a designer who often experiments with sheer and opaque, we wouldn't expect a Spring/Summer collection without some peekaboo action. This time round, there were delectable organza dresses in palest pink, embellished with thick wiggly lines of artfully placed embroidery to shield our modesty
6. Patchwork Doesn't Have To Be Boho
Echoing the looks made from 'Lovers Lace' in his last collection - consisting of figurative intertwined bodies pieced together in different coloured lace - this collection saw slip dresses jigsaw-ed together from pointy graphic shapes in different materials.
7. The Square-Toed Boot Is Back
Yes, at first glance they are a little, well, unflattering. But like it or not, the square-toed ankle boot is officially a trend - also spotted at JW Anderson earlier in the week. For the less brave, there were also some cool neon strappy sports sandals.