London Fashion Week kicked off early this morning with a beautiful collection by designers Antoni & Alison, under the endearing name, “Models walking up and down in dresses”.
We were told at the beginning of the show that Antoni & Alison had wanted to create this collection since they were students, and that it’s only until now that technology has allowed them to bring their concept to life.
As a neat set of 36 colourful, patterned dresses and black satin stilettos made their way onto the catwalk, it wasn’t really clear why the designers had waited so long to realise these garments.
Nothing particularly struck out as unordinary. Until, on closer inspection, we discovered the collection’s hidden depths. Images of different fabrics and elements were printed onto the dresses to create an illusionary, textured effect. Chunky knits, big buttons, tartan, pleats, even pins and folded paper were printed on material that ran homogeneously across all of the dresses, giving a three-dimensional impression that was an intriguing surprise close up.
The marriage of gold cellophane and feathers may not sound like a particularly harmonious combination, but printed on a simple dress design, with such a believable visual effect, was a really inspiring way to start LFW AW 12.
