Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, I just finished watching the live streaming of the Central Saint Martins MA show from the comfort of my sunny apartment. Well, 'just' plus three-ish hours, as I took tons of screen shots and was in need of the nutrients that only Starbucks can provide. Anyway, it's quite apparent that draping was a trend that many did not like (who knew?), as it was absent for most of the show. In fact, it doesn't look like there are any kindred spirits for me amongst this year's group of womenswear designers. The looks were largely very clean and structured, origami-wise, with not a hint of leggings (skirts were layered over pants instead, a look that won designer Jackie Lee half of the Harrods Design Award). Basically, the only draped or non-clean looks to be found (except for my favorites) were in long flowing kaftans with leather appliques (which looked dangerous to walk in), French maid ruffles, faux fur, garments draped via attached glass/enamel/broken bits of toy fishes (below right), cracked and peeling wallpaper-like detailing, material that looked like shaved show poodles, recycled cheerleader uniforms, knitwear/crocheted-wear layered over/under plastic garment bags (below left), and a collection featuring 70s and 80s decor colours and textures.
Lilly Heine, the other designer who won the Harrods Design Award, however, had some interesting multi-layered shape details on boxy bases, which I quite liked (above right). The winner of the L'Oreal bursary featured some full length flowy dresses with real star power à la Super Mario Galaxy, one of which was my favorite looks of the show (top of post). Oh, and I kind of liked the padded geometric armwarmers from the 1st (?) designer (above left). Most importantly, however, I do have a need to find out the name of the 20th designer. It was menswear, but there were two absolutely gorgeous coats with just the volume I like, and nice clean lapels (below). Must.find.name.
I must also find photos from (CSM alumni) Alexandra Groover's show. I hear it was full of inky goodness...
