Report by David Hayes
It is often something as subtle as a shift in mood that can make you sit up and take notice. So after a week of optimistic colour, hothouse blooms, and “happy talk” backstage, the gritty, rock’n’roll bad-girl feel at Marios Schwab came as a welcome relief.
“Joan Jett,” said Schwab after the show, with a directness that was a touch unsettling for this usually ultra-complex designer. “The woman I had in mind this season is intense and a little bit raw.” That new raw intensity was reflected in the
grunge Nirvana soundtrack and the even grungier mussed-up dark eye
make-up and feather-cut wigs that took their cue from The Runaways, Courtney Love and Suzi Quatro.
“I thought the show was terrific,” said Cathy Horyn of The New York Times. “It touched on things he had done before, in an intriguing way –
a way that girls would love to wear.”
Schwab neatly tied up many trends of the week: bad-girl tattoo motifs – also at Christopher Kane – worked into intricate lace designs, graphic “witchy” symbols or onto flesh-toned sleeves; the lingerie slips – a bubbling-under look – made sexy seem cool; the pop of offbeat colour – turquoise, tan, pale pink and apple green; the mix of contrasts – leather harnesses over delicate silk dresses.
“I loved the tough black skirt over the lingerie slip dress,” said showstudio. com’s Alex Fury. “It’s all about that interplay between tough and soft.”
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