A cacophony of abstracted prints, with just
a hint of the uptight secretary; Louise Gray’s Autumn/ Winter 2013 collection ‘Hey
Crazy’ was East meets West: London in a decorative nutshell. Drawn together by
the repeating motif ‘Tube Map,’ the collection was a celebration of print,
vibrant colour and a certain idiosyncratic ‘joie de vivre’ that only comes from
living in London. Prim and proper librarian met East End cool with a large dash
of humour, irreverence and impeccable tailoring; the very best of London, you
could say.
East was found in the dynamic, vaguely
African-esque prints, mohair jumpers and eclectic recycled accessories and
embellishments, which were strongly reminiscent of the 80s punk designers
Vivienne Westwood and Pam Hogg, who Louise Gray undoubtedly owes a lot to.
West in the buttoned up blouses,
princess coats and strong tailoring that underpins the collection; jacquard
fabrics pinned and cut just so to create mini peplums and decisive trouser and
skirt suits. “I’ve found a confidence in tailoring, and it’s exactly what I
want to wear right now,” said Gray in her show notes.
However, despite this newfound
confidence, there was no getting away from the ‘Hey Crazy’ theme of the
collection, summed up with the recycled plastic bag head pieces, toilet roll
accessories (maybe those can be left at home) and silver Bakewell Tart tins as
oversized brooches. For fashion, London has long been the capital of ‘crazy’
(we prefer ‘creativity’), and Louise Gray is currently the undoubted queen of offbeat
London style.
‘Hey Crazy’: summing up the vibrant, collective urban existence that can only be found only in London.
All images from: www.vogue.co.uk
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