"Let them eat cake." It's too bad, in a way, that "let them eat cake" is the most famous thing Marie Antoinette never said. Because if you remove all the sour, anti-plebe connotations, "let them eat cake" would be a pretty good summary of the Mulberry ethos and aesthetic. Except, in Mulberry-speak, it would be: "Let them eat cake!" Because Mulberry and its creative director, Emma Hill, really, truly believe in the mood-boosting effects of a good sugar rush. That's why their collections are always so calculatedly sweet.
Anyway. There was cake at Mulberry today. There were also a giant poodle in a peacoat, chinoiserie jacquard, pastel floral lace, halter-strap sundresses, and wide-leg leather pants. And, as the infomercials say: all this, plus so much more! Mainly, the "so much more" meant bags, lots of bags. (Only twice today did models come down the catwalk at Claridge's empty-handed. "No bag!" said a VIP front-rower, sotto voce, the first time it happened.) And Mulberry will do well with its shrunken Alexas in this season's jacquards and floral leathers. The floral leather motorcycle jackets will be a brisk seller, too—ditto the little waistcoat jackets, which had the right ease for Spring. Elsewhere, the non-outerwear leathers came off rather heavy, and the flower hardware on jackets read as particularly twee. Still, finding fault with Mulberry's sweetsiness is like getting mad at a cupcake. Is there a rusty nail in it? No? Then what's the problem? As Marie Antoinette once never said, "Let them eat cake."
