RONIT ZILKHA
Zilkha is very adept at producing lovely bias-cut silk dresses
and whatever her theme, she always works in her signature
design. This collection opened in Mexico, the dresses, tunics
and swimsuits printed in a palette of warm reds and yellows
and scorched browns held together with hoops of bamboo and
occasionally trimmed with bordeaux guipure lace.
Her show similarly closed with 20s-inspired lace-trimmed
and beaded bias cut dresses in salmon and rose pinks and a
fun group of rhumba-style frilled palazzos, minis and camisoles.
The filling of the sandwich, so to speak, was a group of Forties
denim dresses, kerchiefs and silk prints mixed with matching
printed luggage and wheelie bags. The swimsuits and the bags
are part of a new accessory and beachwear range Zilkha is
launching.
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TATA-NAKA
Seventies poolside glamour is big this season, and Tata Naka,
chose some of the brightest and boldest prints for their collection.
Ultramarine, purple, red, yellow and emerald combined in big
abstract prints that were produced in chiffon, silk, trimmed
in sequins or even very finely pleated.
Lengths tended to be on or just below the knee and dresses
frequently featured strapless bandeau tops. The emerald shirred
pencil skirts and the draped purple or green silk outfits
that closed the show suggested Ungaro may have had some influence.
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ELSPETH GIBSON
There is a delicious air of delicacy about Elspeth Gibson’s
work, but she is intrinsically a very down to earth designer
with an understanding of what a modern woman wants. The way
she picks out a Regency embroidery and turns it into a bodice
with a pair of no-nonsense watery blue silk shorts or slips
a gold embroidered tulle coat over a cotton jersey dress demonstrate
there is nothing prissy and twee about Gibson.
Her show drew on Sanderson’s upholstery chintzes of roses
and hellebores, which she turned inside out for a coat, or
used for high-waist trousers. There were retro hints in the
Fifties trapeze jackets or the prom skirts, but her greatest
skill is embroidery which was executed with the lightest of
touches on three heavenly 1920s dresses.
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BEN DE LISI
Ben de Lisi has made it his mission to dress women in pared
down glamour and he has a subtle, flattering touch. In a collection
dedicated to eveningwear why fight what you are good at?
he produced a range of bias cut dresses in fuchsia, turquoise,
black and white. Some twinkled with a glitter print of the
neo-classical key pattern, others were boldly printed with
a Picasso-inspired design, occasionally outlined in sequin
discs.
He has developed a menswear line with the colourful confetti
prints mixed with white denim, which, to quote de Lisi, are
‘for holidays in the sun and dinner on the sand.’
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ANTONI & ALISON
Antoni Burakowski and Alison Robert’s quirky sense of humour
shows no let up. They were on fine form in their latest collection
with witty themes like an obsession with the letter A (I wonder
why?) which were printed like a rash of fridge magnets in
all fonts and sizes on vests, leggings, dresses and pencil
skirts.
The show opened with a classy group of black 50s couture-inspired
dresses, very refined and elegant, moved into a playful sporty
look with cotton jerseys printed with slogans and quirky themes
and closed with slogans about a ‘designer’ girl. Was this
an ironic dig at fashion victims? Who knows, but it was fun
speculating.
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TEMPERLEY LONDON
There is a lot of buzz around Alice Temperley right now with
a big new showroom in New York, which is sure to attract Carrie
Bradshaw types. Temperley began by producing pretty, feminine
one-off evening dresses for private clients and the collection
offers a similar sense of unique one-off pieces. Her strength
is in feminine and pretty details such as the way she uses
lace and embroidery to make a dress look precious.
There is a vintage influence to her work notably in the beaded
broderie anglaise dresses over coloured linings or the nude
silks inset with ecru lace and jet beading. Colours were mainly
black, ecru, nude tones and dusky rose that could almost be
salmon. While most of it was in georgette, silk and lace,
interspersed with a few cotton dungarees, there were several
graphic looking pieces in fine viscose knit.
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JESSICA OGDEN
A show of infinite grace and charm aided by a delightful
choir of ladies singing songs like "Oh what a beautiful morning’
and ‘I feel pretty’, all of which pretty much summed up Jessica’s
mood. Young, lightly tanned models paraded sailor-collared
jackets and knits with low-slung button-through dirndls. Simple
pinafore dresses with drop-waist belts in tea towel stripes
and ditsy Laura Ashley-style prints were shown alongside dirndls,
smock tops and lightly quilted box-cut jackets.
Fabrics, washed and faded cottons, were reminiscent of Ogden’s
early work with distressed and recycled fabrics. Cut into
her familiar simple, artless shapes the whole effect had a
freshness and naivety to it.
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BOUDICCA
A powerful and dynamic collection from design duo Zowie Broach
and Brian Kirkby boosted this season with sponsorship from
American Express. Strong, beautifully sculpted tailoring in
black and white contrasted fluid jersey dresses proving the
pair is equally skilled at cutting two very different styles
of fashion.
Their sharp, uncompromising tailoring hinted at early Mugler
with its clean and geometric, but sexy lines. Jackets were
sliced with zippers and skirts and dresses were trimmed with
tiny rigid frills. This was hard-edged glamour, but the designers
demonstrated with the jersey there is also a soft, feminine
side to their work.
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HOUSE OF JAZZ
A short, but pretty, even flirty collection from Pablo Flack
and Hazel Robinson. Pleated squares of satin or crepe were
a major design feature attached in floating panels on a series
of black, or duck egg blue and white dresses. The couple are
quite hot on prints and black chiffon and georgette dresses
featured a pale pastel bubble print.
The occasional piece of tailoring cropped up like a grey
satin tailcoat and skirt, but it was the duck egg blue satin
flounced dresses and big bouncy pleated skirt that really
caught the eye.
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