Dear Diane and Shaded Viewers,
I wanted to share with you two designers I saw last week at London Showrooms in Paris.
Richard Malone
Since graduating in June of 2014 from Central Saint Martin’s, Richard Malone has been receiving commissions to make special garments, though he now felt it was time to show the rest of the world his work. He was immediately selected as part of this season’s Fashion East group, and so showed in London and then in the Showroom in Paris. His debut collection was inspired by icons of the working class, like store uniforms, though his rebellious pattern-cutting moved this faraway from a predictable normcore result, to something much more spectacular. Cotton knitwear was boned and lined with crinoline, and always set on an angle to create beautifully irregular dresses. And it didn’t stop there, as workwear-ish garments had playful pockets, and jackets were rounded in everyway possible; ‘I love a good dodgy sleeve.’ And that’s exactly what I felt when looking at his garments; that he just really loves clothing.
Molly Goddard
After only presenting two collections since graduating, Molly Goddard has created an interesting niche for her aesthetic. This season she was inspired by the bleak English summertime. Delightfully incongruous then were the acid green and soft pink tulle designs. Ironic, a little punk, and wholly nostalgic. Indeed bygone traditions are something Goddard looks to with kitsch-coloured glasses, as almost every piece in the collection was smocked, and the tartan pieces held a sense of importance on the racks. It’s playful, post-modest, and completely specific to Goddard; this is perhaps the key to her success. You can see more of her work at Dover Street Market. (collection imagery by Jamie Stoker)
Happy Monday,
Sophie Joy
