Camilla And Marc Spring 2018 Ready-To-Wear ....Fashionweekly...On Fow24news.com

Fashion can be a reaction to global events, an homage to artistic icons, or a prism through which to investigate gender norms. It can also be a lot simpler than that. Australian duo Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman took the latter tack this season, opting to skip the storytelling and focus on what they do best: pretty, flattering, well-constructed things to wear....
“I didn’t want to look at politics or anything that was going on in the outside world,” Freeman-Topper said this morning during a preview of her label’s Spring 2018 collection. “The result was that we had more fun than ever.”

From the vivid jewel tones to the charming bits of flou, it showed. The designers have always been about a jaunty masculine-feminine mix, but Spring’s outing had a buoyancy that felt fresh for the brand. Lack of specific references aside, Freeman-Topper admitted that the 1930s were on her mind this season, as was the idea of a “fantastical garden.” Those loose themes translated into sharp tailoring—most prominently deployed in a natty lightweight wool-cotton check, which echoed elsewhere as an abstract topstitching motif—and a series of hand-painted floral prints which enlivened a series of deftly draped, unabashedly lovely silk dresses. White shirting was another highlight, whipped into balloon-sleeved blouses and a breezy one-shoulder tunic with mock boning.

Paradigm-shifting, perhaps not, but the brand’s craftsmanship continues to set it apart. One of Freeman-Topper and Freeman’s key strengths is in their use of stealth structural elements: barely discernible darts and load-bearing interior panels to define and streamline an hourglass silhouette; off-shoulder chiffon pouf sleeves that defy gravity with the help of organza wings within. The decorative details also make a difference: This season, gathered-sleeve hems and ruffled raw bias tape appliquéd along body contours were pressed flat, to make the mood less frilly, more modern. “We’re not saving lives here,” Freeman-Topper said offhandedly at one point, and yet women in need of armor next wedding season may beg to differ.