February 16, 2024 |
Taking London’s fashionphiles to the Ironmongers Hall – a Tudor-style space that harks back to the 1920s – Edward Crutchley’s AW24 collection got up close and personal. Walking to the sounds of slow, jagged guitar plucking, models paraded down the narrow runway in broad-shouldered coats with billowing sleeves that grazed the noses and knees of the awe-inspired crowd.
Starting with a distinctly western edge, looks were paired with cowboy hats designed by master milliner Stephen Jones. Later down the line, the carpets (the garments) increasingly matched the drapes (Ironmongers), with hefty, regal-feeling materials forming the base of the dramatically constructed pieces. Traditional English smocking appeared alongside crochet that nodded to when Queen Victoria would gift women affected by the Irish Potato Famine crochet scarves to try and popularise the textile. Unrestrained by one avenue of cultural influence, Crutchley also based garments off Byzantine tunics and used a Moroccan wall-hanging to form an ankle-sweeping skirt. A portrait of the Greek god Dionysus appeared across chests, mirroring the mythological carvings chiselled in the ceiling above the runway.
Looks were distinctly character-driven, with each iteration varying from the last but without straying from the collection’s unmistakable codes. The Yorkshire-born designer made sure fans of varying aesthetics got their fix, including both a criss-cross latex two-piece and an ’80s-inspired track jacket with a Prince-like barnet to boot.
Teeny-tiny spectacles and scrunched-up leg warmers gave the looks an extra dimension, with shoes erring on the simpler side so as not to take away from the main event. The showcase ended with Crutchley appearing, as designers often do, on a balcony overlooking his guests before sticking his two hands up to flip everyone off. Always the delight Edward!
Photography courtesy of Edward Crutchley
