Red really packed the punch on the last day of London fashion week’s A/W11 womenswear shows. Marios Schwab, Roksanda Ilinic and Meadham Kirchhoff all abundantly used splashes of the bold colour to eye-catching effect. Schwab in unusually cut shift dresses – some of which featured an intriguing pearl trim; Ilinic in floor-grazing eveningwear and accessories; and Kirchhoff across almost all garments – ranging from bright traffic light red to a deep oxblood. However where Schwab and Illinic kept minimal and glamorous, Kirchhoff did not: dramatic, strange and utterly beguiling, design duo Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff made a lasting impact for the final day of fashion week. Models ritualistically marched in unison to open the show referencing uniforms and uniformity that could also be seen in the designers’ take on school dress – black wool smocks and pinafores. Characteristically subversive Kirchhoff’s show provoked much reaction bizarrely juxtaposing rosary-like necklaces with side curls and wide-brimmed black hats; conservative black over garments with flirty hints of lace; and bleached blonde hair with shadowing black roots. Contrast is definitely to be celebrated.
Text by Lucia Davies
