Upon entering the building the attendees were greeted with a wispy droll from a rather attractive gentleman dressed in train inspector attire, thus emerging us into the mystery and intrigue of the Izmaylova express.
Walking up the grand stair case of the Freemasons Hall was like stepping back in time to a place filled with romance and allure. The venue was packed with the usual suspects found on front rows, with Shingai Shoniwa of The Noisettes, proving why she’s constantly found on the best dress lists, wearing a daring fur frock synched in at the waist.
As the clock chimed, the subtle sounds of a train’s engine filled the room and the lights began to dim, this was not going to be the type of journey with an employee from national rail services strolling down the catwalk, trolley in hand, with a load of soggy sandwiches and naff coffee. What sashayed down the catwalk happened to be nothing less than pure glamour.
Hues of sumptuous silks in caramel, burnt orange and gold, draped on the models form partnered with cuts of suede, gave the dresses an empowered and sophisticated air. Clear influences were taken from both the 1920’s and 1970’s, as witnessed with the floor length silk dresses combined with flared sleeves. Along with the ethereal dresses, the design duo also created more structured forms through the use of contrast paneling and a well tailored suit in there colour du jour, gold.
The showmanship and the whole allure of the show seemed reminiscent of McQueen’s approach of submersing your audience within the collection, not just merely showing them it, but making them visualize who that woman is. With the final garment consisting of a short black dress layered with a long train of black serenading behind with each step, the whole collection screamed one thing- red carpet, and then, the romantic journey was no more…the train had come to its final destination.
