February 15, 2020 |
There’s a definite sense of community you experience while attending a Kiko Kostadinov show. Yesterday afternoon, guests proudly paraded in their SS20 jockey uniforms – singer Dev Hynes being one of them – and sculptural gowns in the most gorgeous of hues. The latter being the work of Laura and Deanna Fanning, the terrific design sister act with an eye always on how the woman of tomorrow should be dressing.
Their fourth womenswear collection for the brand turned to Gestalt’s Law of Simplicity, a philosophical theory to question “our virtual perception” of a garments’ actual physicality. Think of it like a trip on mushrooms, only a lot chicer and without the emotional trauma.
Immense pattern cutting skills and the toying of textures created a gaggle of illusions, like a liquid black slit dress, smoked to create a is-it-or-isn’t-it argyle print. Column dresses came lumpy and in a dizzying Jacquard tartan, whilst superb knits appeared creature-like thanks to a darting technique that lifted the wool into tiny horns.
More literal attempts in tricking the mind saw a selection of vortex 2D graphics that plastered lab coats and a selection of nifty bags made in collaboration with Medea – which fittingly, like Laura and Deanna, is run by twin sisters. This season’s collaboration with ASICS was also a little trippy. It appears more minimalistic than previous iterations, yet finished with a Nickelodeon green sole.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans.
