Drawing on his youth spent in a town not far from Glasgow, Christopher Kane melded classic shapes and fabrics with offbeat prints and details inspired by everyday working-class life.
The designer recalled stepping on the weeds that sprang from pavements; the pigs and chicks in the gardens; the butterflies, and even the mice, which — admittedly — are not confined to working-class neighborhoods.
“There are probably a few right around here now,” said the designer, casting an eye around the backstage.
Those everyday creatures appeared as AI-generated prints on long, skinny gowns, while colored weeds sprouted as placement prints and embroideries on looks including a strapless charcoal gray wool dress, and a flowing black one that resembled a judge’s robe.
Kane also transformed the ruffles on barmaids’ skirts into flouncy bustles that blossomed from the front, or back, of dresses and skirts. Kane said he wasn’t going for a Victorian vibe. Instead, he wanted the bustles to create a “sultry waddle” as models walked.
Bustles added volume and interest to slim wool shift dresses, sober suit jackets and more formal designs, too, such as a sheer white dress with colored flower embroidery.
Kane worked black, or bright red, vinyl into bustle skirts and paired them with oversized knits, some of which had cape-like sleeves.
The simpler, less adorned pieces here were the nicest — especially the charcoal dresses and suits. And while Kane may have loved those bustles, they’ll be tricky to pass off in any place other than the red carpet.
As for those pig and mice prints, the folks at PETA should rejoice. Kane has given them a unique opportunity to wear their campaigns on their sleeve.
