This season she looked towards America for inspiration, drawing on the look of prep. Ali MacGraw in the 1970s classic Love Story has played muse to countless New York designers, though it’s more surprising to find her on a mood board in London. Her fresh-faced, collegiate flair was filtered through a distinctly ladylike lens at Wickstead’s show today. The most overt references to MacGraw’s wardrobe were in the choice of fabrics and patterns, starting with tweed suiting. The Savile Row-inspired look created a welcome lightweight feel on fluttering printed silk dresses with oversized bib collars and billowing sleeves.
Major Sleeves have been a big focus on the runway at Wickstead in the last few seasons, with everything from leg of mutton to bishop styles. This time around, though, it seemed as if the designer put unusual collar styles in the spotlight. Wimpole and pilgrim collars in crisp white linen and cotton lent an Old World bent to the silhouette (or was it a Handmaid’s Tale effect?), though the delicate heart embroidery on the opening look flew a little too close to the emoji keyboard. Wickstead is clearly trying to loosen her buttoned-up aesthetic, with the polished dark denim and extra long outwear being the most compelling examples, toeing the line between comfortable and chic. The starched dickie collars that topped some of the evening dresses however, would have been best left out of the picture.
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