With the constant what s-new-what s-now buzz of fashion—from designer duds to high street wares and every collaboration in between—having time and space to truly see something is a luxury. The small but bright and airy square of Duro Olowu s shop in Mason s Yard is a place to do just that.
Fittingly, the muse for Olowu s Spring collection is a woman who tries to see things clearly and differently. "She doesn t buy clothes; she selects them," explained Olowu. His dream shopper would no doubt be intrigued by the witty spectacles print Olowu used throughout this collection, and she d also be drawn to such considered details as the hand-sewn elastic waist on a silk shirtdress, the designer s sure hand with the bias cut, or the zigzag patchworking of prints.
Olowu s Spring remix also incorporated the saturated colors of tribes in Papua New Guinea and the ever present influence of the designer s Nigerian and Jamaican heritage. Early fans of Olowu will be happy to see his vintage couture prints on voluminous-sleeved thirties gowns (hello, Harlow!) and a shirtdress that he topped with a raglan knit and called his new uniform. (He also showed how you could put a thin cardie over the airy silk of one of those glam gowns, pop on a flat sandal, and go about your day.)
The designer flipped easily back and forth between retro silhouettes—a circle-skirted black suit was another—and a more pop, modern sensibility, as seen in a dress that paired his spectacles print with a Broadway Boogie Woogie-esque motif. Then again, Olowu also has a knack for bringing all his references into line—take the strong-shouldered and nipped-waist forties-style jacket intricately pieced together with lace from the historic mill Sophie Hallette and about ten different vintage prints. It was punky, elegant, throwback, and millennial all at once.
