You have to get up very early—or stay up extremely late—to catch a new entry on the London fashion scene these days. Alistair Carr—whose name might (just) have rung a bell with anyone who attended the Central Saint Martins master s degree show a couple of years ago—made his official debut at a breakfast presentation in the Royal Academy of Arts. Nice venue—but there was plenty of pre-show grumbling among the valiant ranks of attendees who waited interminably for his act to begin. Why were we here, anyway?
The answer wasn t all that clear even by the time Carr s last outfit—a double-tiered meringue of white and ombré blue tulle with a kind of sport top—had made its exit. His collection had worked its way, puzzlingly, around voluminous techno-fabric blousons, hammerhead studded decoration, pleats, and dresses in which the skirts were suspended from the tops. While many of these novelties have been seen before, Carr did pull off a single merge that had the stamp of genuine innovation: a couple of shiny black nylon wraps with romantic, puffy chiffon inserts bouncing in the hem. That hasn t been seen before, and Carr really may have what it takes, over time. In the meanwhile, though, he needs to learn how to focus a collection on a couple of ideas, and get them across in the quickest way possible.
