LFW 20th September 2010 – Romeo Pires

 

We are used to pop-art, Roy Liechtenstein prints and frilly girly shifts.

 

This collection began with a scribbled, almost tribal print top half, draped and somehow still structured with oddly place arm holes and teamed with incredibly low slung waists held up only by over sized braces – giving a clown like appearance, accentuated but the long white wedge heeled brogues, slightly upturned at the toe. The print – black scrawl over red and green was a total shock to the audience so used to seeing pop-art, chiffon and jersey. The stiff starched cotton used in the lower halves looked sustainable and was often an off-white.

 

The collection continued with various feats of miraculous structuring including a pair of Tudor style men’s shorts – puffy and pleated and completed with a plaited trim. The baggy trousers and loose cotton tops gave this collection a very androgynous feel – the models were similarly styled between the sexes, both having plain white faces like Amazon tribes people, men wearing the wedge brogues as the women are, and the hair crimped, frizzy and backcombed. 

This battered styling added to the off white, stone and sand colour palette hinted at the safari trend without splashing tiger print or khaki across the collection. Another example of blurred gender lines is the adoption of leggings by men everywhere! This week I have seen at least 5 men a day in leggings, usually with a draped knit and baggy t-shirt covered the slight… tighter areas! This show paraded men in off-white knee length leggings covered for decency with a long starched cotton shirt.
It seems that Pires has been playing with size with this collection – using oversized draped garments to create the illusion of shape and then in contrast using skin-tight leggings as well.

Following the trends on every single other catwalk this season pleating featured strongly, creating delicate oriental lines and billowing tailored harems. Sheer fabrics combined with these ultra popular vertical pleats to create two beautiful low slung skirts in black and white.
This collection was not at all what I or anyone else following Romeo Pires’s career was expecting but none the less it was fantastic – creating a new sort of high street using Asian influences (the original dropped crotch trouser in Tokyo!)

This dark yet playful collection was a happy surprise. Love it – well done to the Romeo Pires lads!

 

 

Jemima Daisy