Christopher Kane S/S 2018

fashion show 2018
Christopher Kane S/S 2018.
(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

Mood board: For his spring/summer 2018 show, held in the round against a concrete backdrop at the Tate Modern, Christopher Kane was inspired by the clothing choices of domestic queens. That is, squeaky-clean women whose homes sparkle and shine, their cupboards lined with rubber Marigold gloves and pastel scrubbing brushes. Kane was captivated not only by their wardrobes – think floral print transparent housecoats, flouncy ruffled dresses and doily-like broderie anglaise collars – but what lies beneath their immaculate Stepford veneers. Forming a counterpoint to those pristine pieces were more sexual and subversive silhouettes, such as red negligees, and cut out lace dresses embellished with Swarovski crystals. That broderie anglaise collar, when paired with a shiny black trench coat, became an outfit of a naughty French maid, and made reference to the infamous sex parties of Cynthia Payne, a party hostess who ran a brothel in a suburban area of Streatham during the 1970s and 80s.

Best in show: A series of looks riffed on cleaning utensils and domestic supplies, like a black shirt dress made from a plastic bin liner-like fabric with a bright yellow pussy bow; pastel sweaters and cardigans made from scratchy scourer-like fabric; and crimson coats and slitted silk dresses embellished with clothes pegs. Handbags were covered with cleanliness-first crystal hair nets and pointed sandals were smothered with fringing made from mop-heads, while gleaming Marigold-esque gloves were unnervingly white, as if hinting at something more sinister afoot.

Finishing touches: Kane teamed up with regular collaborator Atelier Swarovski, who he worked with to design 2007’s ‘Bolster’ necklace, an encrusted rope-like choker. For S/S 2018, the designer revisited this signature design with colourful twinkling chokers and bracelets. Were they symbols of domestic disturbia?

fashion show 2018

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

fashion show 2018

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

fashion show 2018

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)

fashion show 2018

(Image credit: Jason Lloyd-Evans)
Read more
Miu Miu A/W 2025 best runway sets show spaces
Unpacking A/W 2025’s best runway sets, which captured a mood of longing and escape
S/S 2025 best fashion looks and trends
Trompe l’oeil, transparency, spiralling silhouettes: these looks capture S/S 2025’s definitive trends
Prada A/W 2025 menswear runway show set featuring scaffolding and patterned carpet
Prada’s monumental scaffolding show set was an ‘exploration of contrasts’
Chanel A/W 2025 runway show at Paris Fashion Week A/W 2025
Paris Fashion Week A/W 2025 highlights: Chanel to Saint Laurent
Burberry A/W 2025 runway show at London Fashion Week A/W 2025
London Fashion Week A/W 2025 highlights: Simone Rocha to Burberry
Marco Capaldo 16Arlington AW 2025 collection
16Arlington’s Marco Capaldo on ‘turning up the volume’ with an A/W 2025 collection rooted in 1980s cinema
Latest in Fashion & Beauty Events
Everything Must Change Sharna Osbourne Martine Rose Sadie Coles Film Exhibition
Martine Rose’s first gallery show celebrates the radical queer energy of Bronski Beat
Pharrell Williams takes bow at Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2025
Met Gala 2025 and ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ exhibition: everything we know so far
Vuitton Listing Image
Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind café
Tatras Tokyo Ginza Store Interiors
Japanese outerwear label Tatras’ expansive new Tokyo store finds ‘beauty in contrast’
A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake fashion looks
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UK
John Lobb Saint Crepin Brogue Shoes
These limited-edition John Lobb brogues pay ode to the patron saint of shoemaking
Latest in Feature
the toteme store in China by herzog & de meuron
Bold, geometric minimalism rules at Toteme’s new store by Herzog & de Meuron in China
lo scoglio byron bay review
Wallpaper* checks in at Lo Scoglio: an Australian vacation rental with regenerative principles
zaha hadid architects future projects
The upcoming Zaha Hadid Architects projects set to transform the horizon
black and white image of kitchen
‘La Cocina’: the kitchen is a chaotic melting pot of contemporary culture in Alonso Ruizpalacios’ new film
lean lui guide to hong kong
A local’s guide to Hong Kong, by photographer Lean Lui
people at watch show
What can we expect from Watches and Wonders 2025?