LFW AW18: Mary Katrantzou

EVEN an interruption from a rogue protester didn’t distract us away from Mary Katrantzou’s AW18 collection at LFW. Using the early days of modernism and interiors as her inspiration, models walked a wooden floor displaying the print driven collection. Opening with Bauhaus as an inspiration, jackets and trousers have been printed with graphic art synonymous with posters the art movement is famed for. Typography features heavily throughout the initial looks, celebrating another signature trademark of the movement.

Adaptations have been made to the classic primary colours seen in Bauhaus art, as Katrantzou has extracted the red to combine it with a reflective gold, but the base layer of a cardboard brown is a nod to the materials used within the movement. A rapidly evolving collection, the Bauhaus inspiration soon resembles decoupage, as panels of prints and block colour create a collage of materials. Garment silhouettes also evolve with the inspiration, as the first looks appeared structures, following the lines of Bauhaus but as the florals are joined by William Morris prints, dress cuts become more elegant and detailed.

There is an ease with the pattern cutting and garment silhouettes, as mid-length dresses and wearable shirts allow the collection to be accessible and practical. The introduction on leather amplifies the inspiration, as padded bomber jackets have been quilted and buttoned to resemble armchairs, soon followed by structured tops resembling lampshades. Colours continually shift for the majority of the collection, with a range of brown outfits followed by embroidered pastels and leads us the final looks, Art Deco-inspired outfits, with curtain-esque draping and tiered embellishment in opulent metallics.

by Todd Burns