\nJulien Macdonald took his inspiration from
\nBritain’s Crown Jewels for his London Fashion Week show on Saturday, mixing
\nintense colours with metallics on the signature sexy gowns that have made
\nhim
\na red carpet favorite. <\/p>\n
\nIn the spectacular surroundings of the Foreign Office, the British
\ndesigner
\nshowed figure-hugging evening gowns and cocktail dresses in sapphire blue,
\nruby red and emerald green, embellished with black embroidery, black lace
\nand
\ngun-metal crystals. <\/p>\n
\n“I went to the Tower of London and I saw the Crown Jewels, and I loved
\nall
\nthe colours,” said Macdonald, a former creative director of Givenchy and
\nex-head of knitwear at Chanel, whose eponymous label is worn by A-listers
\nincluding Beyonce. <\/p>\n
\nThe Crown Jewels include crowns, sceptres, orbs, rings, swords, bracelets
\nand robes of monarchs dating back to the 12th century.
\nAs well as using royal colours, Macdonald turned to modern forms the
\nsatins
\nand velvet worn by the aristocracy of old, engineered for extra stretch and
\nlustre. <\/p>\n
\n“It’s all about things that shine,” he told reporters backstage after the
\nshow.
\n“It’s a modern interpretation of a very traditional theme… things that
\ntraditionally would have been worn by the royal family.” <\/p>\n
\nFormula One heiress Tamara Ecclestone was in the front row with her
\n11-month-old daughter Sophia to watch the show, which also included
\nshimmering
\nmetallic gowns which seemed to melt over the models’ bodies.<\/p>\n
\n“It’s hard to make things which are hard, like chain and metal, look soft
\nand feminine and sophisticated — but that’s what I’ve spent 20 years trying
\nto do!” Macdonald said.
\nEarlier at funky British label Sibling, bright colours and figure-hugging
\ndresses were also the name of the game, although the inspiration was more
\nrock
\nchick than royal. <\/p>\n
\nThe models wore fluffy black mohicans and spiky, backcombed wigs, and on
\ntheir bodies, knitted dresses in bright striped patterns and skirt suits and
\nfrocks in vivid orange or candy coloured pinstripes. <\/p>\n
\n“We’ve got every shade of orange and every shade of pink, and every
\ntexture
\n— whether it’s the wool, the latex, the lurex or the sequins,” Sid Bryan,
\none
\nof the three designers behind Sibling, told AFP backstage.
\nFor all the punky attitude of the collection, the silhouettes were
\nelegant
\nand, for such bold colours and fabrics, the clothes seemed surprisingly
\nwearable. <\/p>\n