Rising star Mary Katrantzou sparkles with intricate layered collection
The Greek designer's show, one of the most eagerly anticipated at London Fashion Week, blends print, embroidery, knit and texture into sparkly, starry dresses
From a tiny presentation that showed her gift for vibrant colour and digital print techniques, Mary Katrantzou's show at London Fashion Week has blossomed into one of the most hotly anticipated. Her budget boosted by her award earlier this year by the BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund, Katrantzou's spring-summer 2016 collection is an imaginative, lavish display of craftsmanship.
The Greek designer's swift ascent is as cosmic as the theme of her new collection, which is a lesson in intricate surface design, blending print, embroidery, knit and texture into sparkly, starry dresses. The surface decoration is carefully engineered around the body. An architect-turned-textile graduate, Katrantzou works in 3D, always thinks about how her clothes look when their wearers move.
Swishing baby dolls and slip dresses came with panels of embroidery and beading, or with blocks of black silk or chiffon panelling that fluttered loosely around thighs. Vintage florals, knitted or beaded, were inset on dresses. If the multi-layering felt too much, there were some palette-cleansing, sweetly flounced baby dolls in plain silks and a smattering of black tailoring with metallic strips.