MICHAEL Halpern’s eponymous label quite literally brought sparkle to the stage at London Fashion Week SS20. At One Great George Street, low hanging chandeliers shone soft light onto each exquisite embellished look, a staple feature of the brand. Classic and contemporary, elaborate and subtle, the designs evoked a reimagined femininity while also giving a nod to Hollywood glam of decades past.
It’s not so much that the embroidered sequins of Halpern’s SS20 collection caused spectators jaws to drop, but the sheer intricacy of each singular placement. One of the first models to cross the hard-wood runway sported a white midi-length wrap dress with what appeared to be delicate embroidery of the famous Great Wave Off Kanagawa painting by Japanese artist Hokusai. It looks much like a print, but is actually a tribute to Michael Halpern’s unparalleled sequining abilities.
Masterful tailoring also took centre stage, best seen in a black and white leopard print piece. The cut-out detailing on the circular neckline evoked the feathering beauty of a Bird of Paradise. Halpern captured this essence through several other methods including exotic jewellery pieces and vibrant colour palettes of lime greens, magenta and liquid gold (to name a few), both of which accentuated the spectacle of springtime.
Beauty was another important factor at the show. Renowned make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench brought her face painting skills to the table, creating graphic glittery dark eye-looks that took the glamour factor to the ultimate level.
by Maria Noyen