Spring is just beginning to bloom in Edinburgh. But the fashion world waits for no one and so this month it casts its attention to 2024’s Autumn Winter collections.
Fashion month travels from New York to London, Milan to Paris. One centre piece of conversation was structure; large and innovative shapes commandeered attention on the catwalk, notably Roskanda’s sculptural masterpieces which were inspired by a visit to Le Corbusier’s holiday cabin in Cote d’Azur. The designer translated architectural structures into fashion forms displaying them in the magnificent Tate Britain. Victoria Beckham took her inspiration from the structure of the familiar; how things might look hanging in our wardrobe, making clothes that sat on models shoulders like they might on a coat hanger. At Louis Vuitton designer Nicolas Ghesquiere created shocking shapes through an unexpected skirt moment. Harris Reed created notable designs utilising structure to enhance tradition. Mugler created drama and structure through performance with a star studded cast that literally oozed power, or as model Alex Consani put it: ‘cunt’.
Another theme this month was transparency and sheer playfulness. Anthony Vacarello at Saint Laurent worked with the mystique of sheer fabrics, nodding to the brands history with translucence and sexuality whilst exploring ‘what is at the centre of fashion by rendering it invisible: clothes’. Close-fitting see-through dresses challenge the viewers eye, questioning what is skin and what is fabric. Whilst Saint Laurent looked back to the ‘naked dress’ of Marilyn Monroe, Chloe looked forward to a new era with designer Chemena Kamali’s first collection as creative director, she too played with the femininity of transparency. Perhaps the talking point of fashion month was Coperni’s sheer ‘air swipe bag’, made of ninety nine percent air and one percent glass. The glass was NASA’s cilica aerogel and, the bag was the largest thing ever to be made using the material. It weighs only three grams but can still hold a phone! Coperni have pushed the boundaries of science and design with this statement piece. Other notable uses of sheer martials were Tom Ford’s barely their dresses and Simone Rocha’s take on Queen Victoria’s mourning dress.
Classic basics also retained a starring role. Burberry using good structures and tailoring. Valentino used no colour in their all black collection ‘Le Noir’; Designer Pier Paolo Picccoli showed how the beauty of Valentino can shine through the basic. But it was the classic designs of Schiaparelli which shocked the fashion world, as the house stepped away from their red carpet couture and turned to the every day. Designer Daniel Roseberry commented ‘these collections are complete wardrobes of everyday staples but with the volume turned up to Schiaparelli settings’.
It wouldn’t be fashion week without a good controversy and Andreas Kronthaler designing for Vivienne Westwood pulled through. Singer Sam Smith opened for the show leading to a rather confused reception with CNN questioning ‘are we watching an amateur rendition of Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart”?. Apparently not. The discombobulating outfit was, in fact the opening look of Vivienne Westwood’s fall- winter 2024 show’. The designer has always been as vogue highlight ‘confrontationally subversive’ but perhaps this look was for many just a little too subversive with Smith clad in a heeled, tartan ensemble carrying a stick.
Sean McGir’s debut at Alexander McQueen was set in a train storage space, speaking to the grungy early days of Lee McQueen, many fans complained that the show was a lot more light-hearted than previous McQueen collections by the beloved Sarah Burton. Balenciaga’s show which attempted to question consumerism was also up for scrutiny. So, after a spectacular month – what should I wear this Autumn ? Will you see me at my lectures in garb that looks like the building itself or in virtually nothing? My favourites were a revival of Off White with IB Kamara presenting his collection ‘black by popular demand’ showcasing a vibrant energetic collection with movement; Molly Goddard’s texture based collection with played with Tulle and Gucci’s elegant slip dresses. Maybe in an Edinburgh winter we need to dress like a building, if only merely from the shelter of the thirty storms I have no doubt we will be buffeted by, one thing is for sure, you will not see my winter wardrobe taking any influence from Appleton tower!
“16 elfe eco luxe fashion exposé” by Looking Glass is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.