The window dressing of Julien Macdonald s business has moved way upmarket. Gainsbury Whiting produce his show, George Cortina styles it, Charlotte Tilbury is in charge of maquillage, Steve Mackey s on the decks, et cetera, et cetera. But Macdonald himself brought things back down to earth with a cheerfully vulgar bump when he talked about the inspiration for his new collection. Jilly Cooper is the mistress of a literary medium known in England as "the bonk-buster," and it was her book Riders that turned Jools on for Fall 2010. The designer imagined a woman hot and bothered after a day on her horse, slipping into something sinful when she got home. So the collection breezily straddled two poles: sophisticated outerwear and suggestive, lingerie-influenced evening attire. The second outfit—a white, fur-trimmed parka with gray flannel jodhpurs—was followed by a rococo micro confection of flesh-toned chiffon and black lace.
And thus was the day-and-night rhythm of the presentation determined. The knits that first made Macdonald s reputation were skillfully represented here—on the one hand, by a substantial cable-stitched top, and on the other, by the merest suggestion of cobweb knit that wreathed one model s slender frame. There was a Ghesquière-esque touch in some of the short draped or plisséd dresses, but Macdonald carved out a new signature for himself with hybrid garments like a black leather biker jacket attached to a navy wool skirt, or a dress that featured the bottom half of a jacket bonded to a negligée top. It may sound a little unconvincing on paper, but on the catwalk, it certainly had the courage of its bonk-busting convictions. You can see why this kind of thing has courted a whole new client for Macdonald s fusion of hard and soft. And, hey, that same formula has sold millions for Jilly Cooper.
