Giles Deacon is a designer with a split personality. As he pointed out while presenting his new collection today, his sensibility is divided between Pop and the baroque. Over the past few seasons, Deacon has leaned on his baroque side, turning out costumes for the surreal period drama playing in his head. This time out, he let his Pop flag fly. The theme du jour was the Hacienda, the legendary ravers club in Manchester. As Deacon explained, he was particularly inspired by his memories of the industrial feeling of the place. He also took pains to point out that—per the industrial decor—his key motif this season was the head of a screw, and not a pill. But alongside the screw print, screwhead hardware, and screw-shaped broderie anglaise, there was a pilled-up-ness at work, legible in the way prints had been magnified or smeared, and in the acid-house color palette of neon pink and yellow. Shapes were easy, very updated mod, and Deacon kept the dramatic flourishes to a minimum; the upshot was a collection with a ton of commercial appeal.
