Tuesday, February 21, 2012

London Fashion Week Coverage

Erdem Fall 2012

There are raging debates in fashion intellectual circles (believe me, they do exist) on the topic of fashion as art. The metaphysics of this debate get tangled around notions of authenticity and longevity. We defy these decriers of fashion – those who deem fashion merely art’s “Other” – to look at the Erdem runway.

Those explosive abstract prints could be hung on a museum wall and no one would question the authenticity of this act. It is a significant moment for Erdem, as his signature floral prints get some added weight with the brand’s new, more mature direction. Let’s just understate the case here and say simply that it works.

The colors and prints on this runway are so exacting and so vivid that one wouldn’t mind being crushed by all those blossoms and silk and laminated tweed. Lurid shades catch the eye, like the violent violet of a suit top and skirt with matching shoes. Inky black dresses decorated in rubber and lace are shot through with a midnight scatter of royal blue. Everything here is achingly beautiful and blurrily out-of-focus. This is one collection that will stay with you long after the season has changed its fickle mind.

written by GRACE GORDON|photos: courtesy of GoRunway

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