No art form exists in a vacuum, and least of all fashion. These pop culture-obsessed designers draw from record sleeves, literature, cinema and modern art to fuel their aesthetic. We decoded our favourite spring/summer collections and wrangled out the references behind them.
Peter Jensen
Great Dane Peter Jensen channelled pop culture across both his womenswear and menswear collections for spring/summer – womenswear taking its cue from Diana Ross’ The Boss, while the menswear show was inspired by the dynamic between Andy Warhol and classic film star Paulette Goddard. By the 1970s, Goddard was more famous for her vast jewellery and art collections and “talent for acquiring wealth” (seemingly largely through marrying rich husbands on the brink of death) than any of her films; naturally Warhol ushered her into his inner circle. Jensen interprets the theme with primary colours and a slim sixties silhouette for “Andy” and über-glam headpieces and coloured tights for “Paulette”.
Olympia le Tan
Olympia Le Tan is obsessed with books. So much so that she sprang to fame with a series of book cover handbags (Tilda Swinton is a fan), so it’s unsurprising that the literary has begun to creep across onto the clothing. Joseph Conrad’s 1900 tale of shipwreck and thwarted heroism Lord Jim inspired Olympia’s kitsch take on sailor girl, titled A Girl in Every Port. The illustrations on Olympia’s backdrop and printed garments are lifted from an early edition of the novel, oomphed up by sheer white tights, anchor earrings and irreverent wit.
Céline
Céline became so synonymous with pristine minimalism that Alexander Fury once described it as “a label for women who like to iron their knickers”. This season, though, designer Phoebe Philo raised eyebrows by presenting an explosion of colour, print, graphic shapes and modern art references. Leaflets about the experimental photographer Brassaï lined seats, setting the tone for an art-heavy affair, and the frocks that followed referenced the 1980s Neo-Expressionism and graffiti art of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, German Dadaist painters like Otto Dix, and that unmistakable hue of Yves Klein blue.
House of Holland
In the sickening wake of Gatsby-mania it’s hard to remember that pre-Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen), Baz Luhrmann was actually kinda good. The nineties charm of Romeo + Juliet was revived in House of Holland’s collection, but specifically the catholic kitsch of the Californian Latino tribes Luhrmann depicts. Rose-printed stiletto nails, tattoo graphics and gleaming saints translated west coast gangland aesthetics into Holland’s own brand of east London cool.
Claire Barrow
Alumni of the Fashion East circuit, Claire Barrow borrowed inspiration from the films of Kenneth Anger for her spring collection. ‘Magick Lantern’ features hallucinogenic scrawlings, whirling prints, star motifs, clear plastic and Barrow’s signature black leather jackets. It perfectly evokes the dark and disturbed glamour of Anger’s classics Scorpio Rising and Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome.
Sibling
Boyish tribalism and foppish charm has become a signature aesthetic for Sibling menswear, so West Side Story made a fitting jumping off point – or rather ‘East Side Story’, as the collection was titled, transplanting the narrative to the streets of New York. Shark and Jet motifs appeared throughout, as well oversized cuffs and collars and a 1961 coif Waldorf would be proud of. All this was set against a colourful backdrop of cartoon woodgrain made by installation artist Richard Woods; Woods’ graphics were also repeated across the garments.
Raf Simons
You get the feeling Raf Simons was thinking about his bygone days as an Antwerp raver for this show. Kraftwerk-style graphics, dominated by black but with bursts of screen test tones and a retro futurist feel, gave it all a very late ’80s vibe. Very apt, then, that Factory Records designer Peter Saville was spotted in attendance: the influence of Saville’s Haçienda-era graphics on Simons has often been noted (in fact, the two designers have sporadically collaborated for the past decade). This slick menswear showcase, all slim silhouettes, synthetic materials and nocturnal beauty, felt right at home presented in the Paris Gagosian, under the modernist umbrella of an Alexander Calder mobile and soundtracked by industrial beats.
Words: Astrid Luxemburg
