An experimental, highly decorated — and above all, imaginative — spirit continues to reign at Fashion East. That mood was exemplified in the cast of punkish, mermaid-like characters that Matty Bovan sent slinking down his runway. The clothes were a riot of shimmering mesh, oversize fishnet, lamé and tulle, all in a palette dominated by DayGlo pinks, yellows and greens. The designer layered those materials to create amorphous garments — a swathe of black vinyl knotted around the waist became a skirt, while metal mesh in purple and silver color blocks acted as a dress. Bovan graduated from Central Saint Martins last year with an MA in fashion knitwear. There, he won the LVMH Graduate Prize, and spent a year working as a junior designer at the luxury group. The designer acts as his own muse, with the models’ lurid hair colors and skinny frames hewing close to Bovan’s own image. While more editorial than commercial, the lineup telegraphed energy and fun.
Amie Robertson’s A.V. Robertson line took a more sober but still intriguing stance. The designer, who marks her second season showing at Fashion East, took inspiration from the menacing plants in the 1951 novel “The Day of the Triffids,” embellishing pared-back, Nineties-esque silhouettes with those ominous, creeping vines. Blood red, velvet flowers climbed over a black lace slip dress, with lilac flowers embroidered on a purple tulle, slip skirt.
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In Richard Malone’s collection, it was the sculptural, gravity-defying designs that stood out. Malone states that his aim is to “subvert working class stereotypes” by turning striped, workwear-inspired fabrics into elaborate creations. One striped top was cut with curved, 3-D seams that wound like wires around the body, while a blue cotton shirt, paired with matching pants, had extravagant, fluted cuffs.
Mimi Wade continues to present a static lineup ahead of the Fashion East show. This season she stayed true to her tough, kitschy muse. Her models wore a boudoir-worthy lineup ofsaccharine pink, lace-edged skirts and body skimming pencil dresses — one in a cartoonish cherry print — suited for a rebellious, Fifties siren.