The Boudicca experience is an intense one. For designers Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby, fashion goes far beyond the simple enjoyment of things to wear, and into the realms of symbolism, psychology and politics.
This show was a walk on the dark side—literally. Models walked in somber steps, following a spotlight that was dragged overhead to illuminate their way in a blacked-out studio. But if the sinister portent hanging over this collection was unavoidable, it never overshadowed the level of refinement Boudicca's work has reached. Unlike many less experienced London designers, Broach and Kirkby have a rigorous way of cutting and tailoring that produces precisely pressed and folded graphic shapes that could not have come from any other hands. A Boudicca piece—whether an asymmetric satin skirt, a kimono dress with a caped top or a dinner jacket with the lapels fused into the jacket and the tail lopped off square—is recognizable by its formality, dignity and presence.
Though these compelling qualities have spellbound many fashion insiders, outside support has been hard to come by—maybe because the label is impossible to pigeonhole by trend or category. Barneys New York is one of the few stores to carry Boudicca pieces, as was the London boutique Yasmin Cho, which has recently gone out of business. Such blows are capable of knocking small designers off-course, but by the look of this collection, Boudicca is determined to keep on following its own uncompromising path.
