September 8, 2016 |
Prabal Gurung has soul. His SS17 collection was an exploration of modern feminism, inspired by Gloria Steinem’s ‘My Life On The Road’. My, we love a social and political activist. And we love to put up a good fight. Naturally, then, Prabal’s urge to emulate Steinem’s strength and fight for equality resonated. These girls were on a journey in ruffled asymmetric skirts with giant silver earrings, part of Gurung’s new jewellry collection, (which also debuted tonight) handmade in Nepal from recycled metals. Silhouettes liquidised and flowed in cobalt blue and gold. Pleats found their way into sleeves, fanning out, and also cape-like, gliding behind the models. There was a sense of ease, here. Gurung said to “it all really ties back to this new idea of feminism. Being a feminist today isn’t about burning your bras or being against men. My girl isn’t afraid of her femininity and she’s aware that her biggest strength comes from embracing it.” And so they embraced it. It was almost dreamlike, watching Gurung’s girls float down the catwalk. As Steinem said: “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” There we go. Expect to see these placed upon various starlets on the red carpet next year…
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
