Kit Neale referenced the greatest show on earth, yielding a fun, youthful collection. The designer cited U.S. artist Fred G. Johnson’s old-time circus posters and Elsa Schiaparelli’s Circus collection among his inspirations, and worked up prints and embellishment that riffed on the theme.
Slogans from Johnson’s posters — such as “Boy Change to Girl” — came embroidered on sweaters and shirts, while a silk pajama suit was done in a patchwork of colorful letters that spelled out “circus.” There was also a clownish feel to the silhouettes, seen in pants turned up to the calves, porkpie hats and round-toed Dr. Martens shoes.
That said, the clean lines of the garments — aside from the teddy bear fur coats — grounded the collection, with the designer sending out heavy cotton skate shorts, bomber jackets and crisp shirts in a restrained palette of burnt orange, red and navy.