The excitement in watching Roland Mouret is the way he walks a fine line between French romanticism and the London gutter. As a Frenchman, he s obsessed with making beautiful fabrics run over a woman s body like a whispered compliment; as a guy who lives in London, he knows a Gallic cliché when he sees one.
Mouret s clothes are for women who can t stand overdressing at night, but still want to turn on the seduction. Which they can do perfectly in a chiffon dress with billowing sleeves, or a dramatically simple neck-to-floor column of black jersey that turns to show a naked back. Newer for Mouret this season is his addition of structured tailoring, like belted jackets with strong shoulders, bouclé pants and a navy trenchcoat with overstitched seaming, all with a faintly 40s air. Even more impressive is the changing backdrop against which Mouret s clothes are shown. What was once an off-schedule date in gritty Bermondsey is now an affair amongst gleaming chandeliers in Christie s. Flattery will get you everywhere.
