Last spring, Sarah Burton cast her eyes upward to the changing London skies, staging the show under a transparent dome at the top of an East London car park. This year, she fell back to earth and zoomed in on the human form and how women look, and move, in her clothes.
Burton’s landing was a soft one. She offered up a host of deconstructed silhouettes that were light as air, and cut for flattery and ease of movement. They debuted under that same glassy dome, which had been moved to the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, overlooking the Thames.
Slashed gowns looked as if they were made from thick ribbons, while long leather asymmetrical skirts were cut to reveal a flash of leg. Burton chopped out the backs of tailored jumpsuits and sliced up jackets and short frock coats, teaming that latter with a riff on the McQueen bumster trousers.
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A master of sharp-shouldered tailoring, Burton also ventured into new territory, drawing inspiration from the world of athleisure.
A red knit bodysuit was fit for a 21st-century superheroine, while stretchy, strappy tops peeked from under printed faille, or pleated tulle dresses. Burton even cut a denim jacket like a bodysuit and paired it with low-slung jeans.
Burton said her aim was to celebrate individualism and to empower women. “It’s not a male gaze,” said the designer of her approach. Instead, she was aiming to make clothes for women living in the world of today.
Burton said she wants her clients to feel good. “It’s not about a dictatorial way of dressing, but about individuality, finding the personality and making them feel empowered,” she said.
In this season of lavish embellishment, this collection was a palette-cleanser, although Burton did sprinkle a sequin here and a colorful fringe there.
She also drew inspiration from the surreal and colorful paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, whose work teems with human bodies, in heaven, hell and on earth.
The exquisite Bosch embroideries covered everything from boots and bodysuits to slashed-up ballgowns, and added an extra dose of richness to this collection for women on the move.