England has been ruled over by kings and queens since the 7th century or so. More recently Scotland, Wales and then by 1919 almost a quarter of the globe was under their dominion, too. Last September, as Charles Jeffrey Loverboy was preparing this collection, a slimmed-down monarchical system was burying Elizabeth II and preparing to crown Charles III. Which made the other Charles, fashion Charles, think.
Back between 1649 and 1660, England was not a monarchy. Way before the French really made republicanism cool in 1789, the Roundheads won the English Civil War, ousted the king (also called Charles) and for a brief sliver of time the country was ruled by Parliament and Oliver Cromwell. Then Cromwell died, and Charles II was later restored to the throne. And so it goes on.
For this collection Loverboy decided to imagine a Restoration writ in fashion in which society was shaped as he’d like to see it; equitable and fabulous. He mixed this thought with an emphasis on sportswear (as he’s been training to run a marathon, and CJL's sportier pieces have been selling well) and then collided history with hyper-modernity by using AI tools to research and (in the case of the floral) even design elements of the collection.
The result was an entertainingly bawdy and thought provoking piece of fashion theater whose props contained several pieces you could see delivering bravura performances at retail. A line of sequin coated denim named Liquid Ecstasy mixed hyper-stylized armor with camp core pieces. A technical skort blended with wraparound kilt in fluoro green looked like a future raver’s bang-on favorite. Tricorn hats were inset with AI-generated theatrical mise-en-scenes denoting scenes of pure fantasy: an effective, well-funded British health service and an efficient and humanitarian policy towards asylum-seekers.
Other compelling touches came via some Muppet-fuzzy pieces in teal fil coupe shirting, animist roaring-cat belt buckles (to go with the clawed clogs and shoes), pagan-ish block print denim, and some high britches/puff-shorts in that emergency green. The closing extreme court dress pieces created in conjunction with Wedgwood made for a rousing finale.
There was so much humor, personality, politics and queerness embedded into this collection that Jeffrey's breezy lack of concern that his dabblings in AI might transform him from Loverboy to Loverbot seemed entirely justified. He kilt it.
