Tonight:
5°c
Bing! Erdem's beautiful show today was both a palate-cleanser and a palliative, coming as it did after a show schedule that ran very late the night before. Its uplifting spirit and its optimism were exactly what was needed.
From the very first look, a close-fitting blouse and petal-shaped skirt, bursting with hundreds of tiny flowers, it was evident the craftsmanship of this collection was almost couture-like.
As Erdem explained backstage, 600 fabric flowers had been hand-cut and hand-stitched to the top and skirt — not done by an atelier in Paris à la Chanel, but in the rather less romantic setting of Brighton, by a small team of dedicated workers.
The floral theme continued, with tulip-shaped skirts, puff-sleeved dresses and simple blouses all emblazoned with peonies, pansies and violets.
Everything was hand-printed, fabrics created using digital scans of prints of photographs that Erdem had taken in Japan.
There was a Victorian feel to the high-necked blouses, further emphasised by a liberal use of French lace, which broke up the floral and added a delicate, sombre tone. A simple black lace dress with a high-funnel collar was exquisite, while a white lace trench coat gave the garment a new spin.
"I wanted to convey the idea of garments that had been taken apart and put together again," said Erdem backstage after a show that was one of the highlights of London Fashion Week thus far.
