February 14, 2019 |
20 years in the fashion game and Roland Mouret still knows how to spring a surprise. The man who invented the curve-hugging Galaxy dress – the most alpha-feminine silhouette to come from the catwalks in decades – has embraced gender neutrality. Yes, you heard that correctly. For the first time, there were men in his show, but they weren’t wearing dedicated menswear. The slouchy trousers, softly cut jackets and teddy bear coats were all from Mouret’s women’s collection. Rather than looking femme or in any way camp, the male models looked laid-back, handsome and utterly comfortable in themselves. It’s a clever move from Mouret, who holds a mirror up to the way we dress now and rejects the duality of dressing. Masculine? Feminine? These are old labels that no longer apply.
This modern approach to gender brought an appealing fluidity to the whole collection. The clothes, softly tailored and artfully draped, morphed to the body of whomever was wearing them. Standouts included oversized coats in cuddlesome textures and “decometric” patterns, abstract poppy print dresses and languid satins that telegraphed his new sense of ease. Mouret also cuts a mean trouser (whatever your gender). And politics aside, there’s so much to shop from here and all are welcome
Photographs by Jason-Lloyd Evans.
