Dear Shaded Viewers and Diane,
There’s a few reasons why fashion designers tend to stay clear of overt, proactive political statements that are not in their nature nostalgic, riotous or both – and most of them seem sound enough, that we’re willing to go find them elsewhere. When looking ahead at the coming fall, however, the date of November 8 stands out so vividly, it would take some too much of an effort to purposely overlook. Gareth Pugh is one such some, and while the worlds of appearance and reason are wisely believed better off on their own, he is also well aware that the subliminal influence of one’s persona, and what they wear, shouldn’t be underestimated. The premise sounds endorsing enough that a press release’s got to point out how it actually really isn’t, but that’s more than just a few choice words to smooth ruffled feathers along the way. Because if certainly inspired by our present polls, Pugh’s collection won’t align itself with any one woman by anything more than its timely seasonal drop. Rather, it’s an analysis female leadership in sartorial codes. If not quite double-faced in the sleazy sense of the term, Pugh’s candidate surely harbours her own darker side, that keeps her close to the brand’s sensibilities: think Chris Evans meets Anthony Hopkins, genderswapped. She walks down the runway flanked by bodyguards, with that old-fashioned fashion stride that always meant business, perhaps further spiced with a military spin. Hands on her hips and a tailored jacket draped on her shoulders but not fully worn, she’s intimidating even at her most virtuous. Clad in a silky blue dress that could have been fashioned from a rosette’s ribbon, or a star-studded American blue ensemble with matching halo, fit for superheroes. But her silhouette is always as sharp as a blade, almost violent, and she’s got on long leather gloves and carries a briefcase linked to her wrist by a golden chain. Freedom blue and creamy shearling become the Prince of Wales black and white pattern of compromise. Earpieces on, she wears an elastic moustache that styles her lips into a plum pout, yet at times, a Hannibal muzzle is the only thing that keeps her instincts at bay.
Later,
Silvia