Stay tuned for big things from Phoebe English. It s still early days for the London-based designer, who launched her label two years ago as a newly minted graduate of the master s program at Central Saint Martins. She has flown mostly under the radar since then, but this collection ought to change that. English has a distinctively subtle sense of lightness: Here, working mainly with tulle, she conjured a number of looks that, though gossamer-weight and semi-sheer, claimed force and expressiveness thanks to their sculptural shapes. There was the nude-toned skirt, for instance, draped off a dense elastic band and suspended in irregular gathers. Or the little black tulle pencil skirt, with a band of white pleated tulle inserted at an angle. The looks here were compellingly askew, and English s use of elastic gave them an aspect of real toughness. Her standout pieces, though, were the ones knotted out of a hosiery-like material; these were both versatile and aesthetically sui generis. There was lots to build on here.
