The trend for sheer dressing is showing no signs of slowing down on the runways for Spring 2017, though figuring out exactly what one should wear underneath all these barely there pieces is something most designers have not yet addressed in a real-world way. At John Galliano, the idea of underpinnings is nothing new—the ’30s-inspired slip dress is an established silhouette in the brand’s repertoire. This season bias-cut chiffon looks were accompanied by some delicate triangle bras and high-waisted silk satin briefs made in collaboration with Parisian lingerie label Velvette. Trimmed with lace and dipped in bright colors, the results were clearly too good to keep under wraps; in fact, a ruffled white asymmetrical frock that was worn with hot pink undies had a freshness that was modern without being vulgar.
Creative director Bill Gaytten conceived the collection dress-up box style, as if a young girl had stumbled on a pile of cast-offs and assembled outfits with madcap imagination. Military-inspired thermals and long johns were thrown in with the brand’s signature feminine slips, giving the boudoir look that’s been percolating for the past few seasons a nice dose of rough-and-tumble attitude. By all counts, Gaytten knows his way around a flirty cocktail dress, and his most alluring examples were sprinkled with sequins, stripes, and flowers. The striped sailor pants that were lopped off at the hem were a nice proposition for day, and came with traditional finishings—lacing in the back, buttons up the leg—and were rolled down to reveal the waistband of some lacy underwear. Few models embody a sexy-tomboy swagger better than Edie Campbell, who opened the show wearing a similar rendition of that ensemble; the tea-stained effect on her sailor trousers, however, appeared muddy in comparison to the bold stripes. In fact, the collection could have benefited from a bit more color outside of the lingerie drawer. Still, there were lots of wearable options for pretty young things to play with come spring.
