Quilt-making was the main inspiration for this collection, particularly from the residents of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, an isolated town in the southern United States where African-American women created quilts whose styles were so unique, they attracted the attention of major art museums.
As each look progressed, so did the dresses’ complexity. In a palette of neutral hues – whites, light browns and pale greys – styles transformed from geometric panelling to mesh-like netting (or as the show’s notes called it, “smock detail”), to a chevron-like pattern of patchwork on an A-line dress, where every other panel featured a multicolored print. Chain was interlaced into edges and silhouettes of flare dresses and playsuits. Passamenterie embroidery and appliqué resembled a baroque-meets-macramé look on dresses, long-sleeved tops, and skinny trousers, teasing the eye to recognise a coat of armour, a style that the fashion house played with in previous spring seasons.
The black leather belts also upped the ante through the show, as they altered from simple around-the-waist accessories to full-on body harnesses. Depending on the dress, each harness varied in style, from a corset covering the torso to a strappy harness that snaked from the waist to the neck. With so much eye candy going on among the dresses, these leather pieces helped anchor each look.
