Fashion tends to operate at a remove from politics. And what with the shows going on, it s been rather too easy to forget there s a revolution underway in the Middle East, a groundswell of people power the likes of which hasn t been seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall. You might catch a headline, or hear a snatch of a news report, but then it s off to the next show, and on to questions like, Flaps: a trend? And if so, why?
A counterargument is that engaging global issues via a runway show risks trivializing them. But when the world s energy is shifting this way or that, it s hard ultimately to support the idea of fashion in a vacuum. In that sense, Peter Pilotto designers Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos deserve credit for reckoning with the idea of revolt this season. Their show this morning was an uncharacteristically tough-looking mash-up of seditious aesthetics, from salwar kameez-inspired layered looks to Malevich-esque color-blocked knits and cleverly adapted versions of the classic Leninist three-quarter coat. The label s digital chain-link prints and palette of constructivist colors had a punkish sneer, too.
The Pilotto aesthetic is, at heart, a little too polite for revolution. But it was good to see these designers putting a little muscle into their look. Some of the strongest pieces here had a real utilitarian vibe, such as mannish color-blocked waistcoats or sporty fishtailed vests with exposed pockets, done in a 3-D print technique carried over from last season. Their layered looks—in particular short skirts over wide-leg trousers—are part of an emerging trend here in London, but Pilotto s execution was the best so far, especially in mixed prints. Elsewhere, the collection s wrapped garments left something to be desired; the pieces didn t look quite finished. But the wrapping did show Pilotto and De Vos operating with a freer hand, as did their play with blurring in their prints. This was a strict collection, with something wild and new in it fighting to get loose. You could say it captured the moment well.
