Mulberry’s Johnny Coca set the scene for an English country garden party at the brand’s presentation in Paris today, with cucumber sandwiches, piles of strawberries, and tea brewing in fine china pots in the lobby as guests arrived. The Britannia theme continued upstairs with a video installation by director Sharna Osborne inspired by Royal Ascot Ladies Day. Think models leaping into the air in slow motion with surrealist confectionary-like hats perched on their heads. The ruffled, ruched dresses and linen suits that dotted the room had a sense of levity about them—both literally and figuratively—that the collection has lacked in a past. It was a nice way to set the mood, particularly combined with the cheery citrus palette that included lime green, a color that’s been popping up all season long.
Coca hasn’t abandoned his experimentations with voluminous proportions altogether. He evolved the college stripe that covered many of his oversize Fall looks, drawing on the idea of deck chairs instead and incorporating them onto billowy ruffled blouses, midi skirts, and spaghetti-strap sundresses. Those silhouettes were printed with blue-and-red Wedgwood-style patterns as well, though the most eye-catching use of that porcelain-china motif was at the resin heel of Mulberry’s new midi pump, which looked something like an upside-down teacup. Indeed it’s fair to say the accessories took center stage in the showroom today, with endless iterations of that charming novelty shoe, often trimmed with mink and embellished with crystals. There were some great new bag options in the mix as well, including a soft take on a traditional lady bag that had a gathered finished and chunky chain strap. The smaller, pouch-style bags looked especially good finished with those deck-chair stripes—stylish pick-me-ups that will go the distance once garden party season is over.
