Christopher Kane is back on the show circuit after sitting out the fall 2021 season, and all of that pent-up creativity has gone straight into the sometimes demure, occasionally sinister spring looks.
He presented digitally this season, filming a runway show that was filled with signature details, such as fluttering layers of fabric like the pages of a book, lightweight silver chainmail and sparkly artwork of his own making.
It was a big collection, and there was something in here for Kane fans, and others, whether they want sizzle, slouch or intellectual stimulation. Kane’s sister and collaborator Tammy Kane, nailed it by describing this outing as “a joy to wear.”
So broad was this offer that Kane’s ladies can do the full Jayne Mansfield in a sheer pink gown with an exaggerated, pointed satin bra, or float into a cocktail party at Cambridge in one of the many dresses fashioned from stacks of fabric thin as a paper sheaf, some of which had a punk edge with long zippers.
Kane also trotted out his armor in the form of brushed aluminum plates and chain mail. He whipped the former into dark dresses that cinched the waist, and the latter into swingy miniskirts or long and languid tops.
For those who aren’t doing cocktails right now, there were oversize hoodies which Kane decorated with his own collages or sparkling portraits of naughty children; A-line sweaters with a single, horizontal zip at the back, and a sultry, one-shoulder knit, which Kane paired with a satin pencil skirt.
Since taking back his business from Kering, and with no more store on London’s Mount Street, Kane has been spending his time doing what he loves — making art, building More Joy, his cheeky collection of clothing, accessories and homeware, and creating great clothes that his clients love.
The strategy has been working: Wholesale continues to be a large part of the business with the brand selling at Net-a-porter, Browns and Matchesfashion, while Selfridges made space for a More Joy pop-up earlier this year.
Online sales rose 30 percent in 2020, and that momentum is continuing, according to the company.
Kane has also joined Amazon Luxury Stores in the U.S. as a way of testing demand, and is also stretching out his seasons so clothes remain longer on the shop floor: The collection that showed Thursday will be available from mid-October 2021 onward.
Spring 2022 was a quiet comeback but a confident one.
