Erdem Moralıoğlu went for a “mashup” rather than a retrospective as he celebrates 20 years as an independent designer — no small feat in this economy.
His resilience, consistency and unique design methodology are a source of pride for a beleaguered London Fashion Week — and still a feast for the eyes.
His fall collection felt overcharged at times with its wanton fabric patchworking, tinsel fringe, shoulder bows, multiple fabric streamers and dense crystal embellishments.
But then came the unexpected spunk of bra tops worn with boyish jeans — a wink to the Canadian-born designer’s graduation show from the Royal College of Art, and a funky foil to more historical elements like panniered skirts and Elizabethan collars.
Moralıoğlu called his collection “Impossible Conversations,” cueing up a freewheeling raft of references and the colorful historical figures that have inspired past Erdem collections.
“What would happen if all of these women spoke to each other, the kind of dialogue between Maria Callas and Radclyffe Hall, or Duke Ellington and Marianne North?” he mused backstage. “I liked the idea that it was, for lack of better words, this kind of mashup and dialogue between all of these muses.”
Models wove between narrowly spaced benches at the Tate Britain, some giving off the somnambulist energy of women who stayed up too late reading Rimbaud.
Some of the dresses were truly dreamy, including a narrow yellow column beaded and bejeweled to the max, and a creamy lace crinoline dress that grazed the knees of the audience. Moralıoğlu also offered an array of mannish blazers and handsome, roomy coats, some slipping off shoulders and clutched closed.
The show attracted a slew of leading ladies, including Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren and Glenn Close, the latter two rushing backstage to congratulate the designer and pose for photos. Happy anniversary, Erdem.