London Fashion Week: Mulberry
The prize for the most over-the-top invitation undoubtedly went to Mulberry, who sent out two-foot long gold keys. As we entered the ballroom at Claridges, the walls were lined with hundreds of oversized gold padlocks, and as the lights went up the collection was ‘unlocked’. Anna Wintour sat front row, chatting to Billy Nighy, who clicked his fingers along to the Iggy Pop soundtrack. Also front row were Michelles Williams and Dockery, Lana Del Rey, Elizabeth Olsen and Tinie Tempah. This collection was textbook Mulberry; public school girls, midnight
feasts, granny’s furs and English eccentricity. Inspired by Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, our heroines were schoolgirl explorers wrapping up warm and heading into the wilderness. Chunky knits and sheepskin were belted over silk and lace dresses and worn with messy plaits, giving the appearance of a midnight break-out from the boarding school dormitory. A palette of neutrals was broken up with splashes of abstract painterly print, on a quilted jacket or the lining of a coat, while zipped hoodsand oversized parkas had a naive, girlish quality. Of course our model explorers wouldn’t get very far were they to encounter any monsters since they could barely navigate the catwalk in their vertigo-inducing wedges, but perhaps that’s all part of the whimsy. Bags (after all, that’s what we go to Mulberry for) were simple, pared back, often with matt black hardware - a welcome departure from the bling of seasons past. The Del Rey bag - inspired by a certain front row songstress - was simple, timeless and structured, while the Maisie featured all the iconic Mulberry hardware, but lightly embossed onto the leather rather than weighing down the wearer. As we left we were treated to bacon rolls and Bloody Marys, a nod to the early hour, and goodie bags were stuffed with gold paper crowns and stickers, continuing the nostalgic, playful theme. This was fashion as theatre, complete with a no-expense-spared approach and a scrum of paparazzi. Mulberry’s stellar rise has been well documented and their headline-grabbing shows have become a highlight of London Fashion Week. Fun fashion at its finest.