A trip to Japan got Marcus Wainwright and David Neville s creative juices flowing. "I ve always wanted a samurai sword," enthused Wainwright backstage, "and I ve always loved Star Wars." If not downright dangerous, that s dicey territory to say the least, but their models didn t look like refugees from some George Lucas flick. In shiny crash-proof basket-weave dresses, Loro Piana waterproof wool coats, second-skin ninja trousers, and the occasional chain-mail slip, they were latter-day urban warriors.
A suitable image for the economic end-times upon us, yes—and one that gave the designers plenty of opportunity to flex their tailoring chops; to give one example, model Freja Beha Erichsen in a boxy cheviot jacket, waistcoat, and tux shirt over slouchy "haraki" pants (Rag Bone s answer to the omnipresent dropped-crotch look).
The message wasn t entirely postapocalyptic, however. A black wool herringbone tuxedo dress had sex appeal to spare; likewise its more casual cousin, a blue chambray tuxedo shirtdress topped by a narrow gray vest. On the softer, more girlish side, there was a printed silk dress accessorized with an obilike indigo and leather quilted belt, and a skirt in the same fabric topped by a cocoon-y navy kimono cardigan. After last season s dip into England s eighties-pop subcultures, this collection felt a whole lot more modern and vital.
