A corset isn’t something that most of us will be used to putting on in the morning, yet it was that seemingly archaic piece of clothing that Kym Ellery had on her mind for Fall 2016. “I was thinking about how a corset might be relevant to today’s woman,” said Ellery backstage. “So I went about deconstructing the turn-of-the-century garment and reconstructing it in a modern way.” Rather than lacing the silhouette into a tight, trussed-up bundle as you might expect, the Australian designer focused on liberating the body. The most obvious signs of the hourglass waist-cincher were all coming undone, belting a floor-length coat and minimalist black dress with what looked like a single top button. Ellery generally likes her proportions to run on the oversize end of the scale, and the mannish coats came with boned panels in the back that only emphasized their boxy shape.
On the topic of volume, the signature extreme flares made several appearances in the collection, including one cropped pair in Japanese denim. Those jeans were a small sampling of the brand’s first foray into denim, with a range of six styles that included a slouchy boyfriend cut in addition to its best-selling bell-bottoms. Ellery also rolled out her first shoe collection, and with sturdy thigh-high boots in the mix, she hit on the big footwear trend of fashion month, though tamer styles, like the blue velvet ankle boots, struck a stronger note. More signs of corsetry showed up in the lacing along jacket sleeves and shrunken vests, and the freshest application of the theme was in streaming ribbons with eyelets that whittled the waist of a gold dress. Overall the lamé and velvet frocks in shades of red, blue, and black stood out the most—cool evening looks that had all the ease of a blouson. The single gold statement earrings that swung at the shoulder like Calder sculptures were a nice idea too. Chances are, savvy street style stars from Sydney to Shanghai will take a shine to them.
