The rhythm of life was the focus of Grace Wales Bonner’s show, which saw models walking in circles around a mass of stacked amps — a sound system originally from London’s annual Notting Hill Carnival — each representing a different character.
“There are four characters. The spiritual, the effeminate son and then there’s also the intellectual and the street-rocker,” said the designer.
Models wore a variety of styles, in keeping with the designer’s ongoing exploration of male dress across cultures and decades, and the blurred lines between male and female dress.
They included gray duffel coats and dusters done in British tweed, handmade leather trousers in a harlequin check and a bejeweled matador’s suit. A dogtooth duffel coat, paired with a matching turtleneck, straight-leg trousers and newsboy cap, showcased the designer’s tailoring talent.
There was more of a focus on women’s wear too, although a lot of the men’s wear was genderless. The designer said she is putting more of a focus on understanding the Wales Bonner woman. Female models wore Forties-inspired silhouettes, including linen and leather dresses with nipped waists.
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While the clothes themselves were beautiful, there was too much going on. Wales Bonner would do well to distill her ideas and present them in a clearer way.