Mood board: Hussein Chalayan staged his skillful A/W 2017 outing, titled 'Act to Form', at London’s Sadler’s Wells theatre. Fuelled by the current state of political unrest, the London-based designer presented a sombre and subtly defiant collection, informed by the ‘new isolated individuals that the world order is generating’. Rather than addressing the matter with explicit slogans or overt symbols (as was often the case during New York Fashion Week), Chalayan incorporated modest references to the Balkan era of Greek folk culture as a symbol of historical empowerment in order to inspire and uplift his audience.
Scene setting: Kate Bush’s melancholy ballad Misty accompanied this measured but intense affair. Models emerged slowly from the west wing of a blank stage, pausing at the middle to bathe in a single spotlight before exiting. The stark backdrop allowed the clothes to take precedence. Pencil skirts and carrot-shaped trousers came adorned with Greek-inspired wrap belts; a custom jacquard dress bore a print of an Ancient Greek city map layered over a Manhattan grid; and felted cashmere knits topped off the signature house tailoring.
Best in show: Chalayan had masterfully engineered the final six looks with stuffed panels, which the models ripped in half to reveal a deluge of metallic party streamers, feathers and plastic wrapping. The celebration was undoubtedly in jest – a faux party to conclude a politically charged line.
Chalayan A/W 2017
Chalayan A/W 2017.
Chalayan A/W 2017.
Chalayan A/W 2017.
-
Where Saltie Girl met SweetBoy: how an LA pastry chef and his Boston restaurateur mother accidentally created a family businessThe collaboration between foodie duo Kathy and Ben Sidell sprinkles sugar dust over a West Hollywood haunt
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Rwanda’s Wilderness Bisate Reserve: ‘There are few lodges more magical than this’Located south of Volcanoes National Park, the exclusive Wilderness Bisate Reserve caters equally to sybarites and the gorilla-obsessed
-
Paris Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2025 highlights: Auralee to Louis VuittonParis Fashion Week Men’s A/W 2025 began yesterday with Pharrell Williams’ celebration of a ‘friendship for life’ with streetwear legend Nigo. Reporting from Paris, Wallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss picks the best of the week, as it unfolds
-
Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind caféWallpaper* takes a tour of the Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up in London’s Soho, which celebrates the launch of a new ‘re-edition’ accessories collection spanning the greatest hits from the Japanese artist’s long-running collaboration with the house
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UKAs A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
-
Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019 -
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine RoseThough slimmed-down, London Fashion Week nonetheless provided the moments of creative expression the city is known for – from Ahluwalia’s ode to Africa to Martine Rose’s much-anticipated runway return
-
Discover these fashion brands at London Craft WeekDuring London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
-
Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London -
V&A spotlights the sartorial and social significance of the kimonoFor the latest endeavour of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk explores the evolution of the iconic Japanese garment
-
Erdem A/W 2020 London Fashion Week Women's
