Roland Mouret London Fashion Week Women’s S/S 2019

Mood board: We talk a lot about the codes of designers and their clothes but not enough about the coded way in which women are living their lives. In the 20 years since Roland Mouret has been working under his own name, things have changed. The closing look to his A/W 2000 show was an asymmetric black dress, which scooped low enough to reveal the right breast. In the intervening years he riffed on the power and sexuality of women – his 2006 Galaxy dress dominated fashion for more than a decade. The Mouret woman is confident. She’s wearing clothes that are fitted to the body or cut away to reveal it. She is wily and knowing. ‘I design to be relevant, not only to who we all are, but to the female body shape, social class and everything else that it touches,’ his notes for the show began. For the coming season, he pulled together the soft-core focus of Just Jaeckin’s 1974 film Emmanuelle and the movements that have brought together the women of the world in response to abuse of male power. Soft blazers, belted trenches and dresses were open at the back – pinched together in a nod to the yonic paintings by the American artist Judy Chicago.
Scene setting: The models walked to ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’ across the roof garden at the National Theatre. The flora swayed in the breeze, the bubble crepe, hammered silk and single wool felt flapped against the hard graphic line of Denys Lasdun's brutalism. The ultra-plunging necklines were provocative in how they confronted the viewer. Trench coats had black mesh inserts in the vents, jackets had cutaway sleeves, revealing slices of arms. Slits of exposed lace showed more skin.
Sound bite: ‘I am known for my love and I believe understanding of women, I might push them and challenge them, but I will never ask them to compromise,’ the designer said. ‘Women across the world have found strength though the community of shared experiences. They are the voice for our society, and this is what I want to express in the collection.’
Roland Mouret S/S 2019.
Roland Mouret S/S 2019.
Roland Mouret S/S 2019.
Roland Mouret S/S 2019.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
London based writer Dal Chodha is editor-in-chief of Archivist Addendum — a publishing project that explores the gap between fashion editorial and academe. He writes for various international titles and journals on fashion, art and culture and is a contributing editor at Wallpaper*. Chodha has been working in academic institutions for more than a decade and is Stage 1 Leader of the BA Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins. In 2020 he published his first book SHOW NOTES, an original hybrid of journalism, poetry and provocation.
-
ICON 4x4 goes EV, giving their classic Bronco-based restomod an electric twist
The EV Bronco is ICON 4x4’s first foray into electrifying its range of bespoke vintage off-roaders and SUVs
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
‘Dressed to Impress’ captures the vivid world of everyday fashion in the 1950s and 1960s
A new photography book from The Anonymous Project showcases its subjects when they’re dressed for best, posing for events and celebrations unknown
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Inside Camperlab’s Harry Nuriev-designed Paris store, a dramatic exercise in contrast
The Crosby Studios founder tells Wallpaper* the story behind his new store design for Mallorcan shoe brand Camperlab, which centres on an interplay between ‘crushed concrete’ and gleaming industrial design
By Jack Moss Published
-
Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind café
Wallpaper* 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
By Jack Moss Published
-
Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UK
As A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
By Jack Moss Published
-
Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019
By Dal Chodha Published
-
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine Rose
Though 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
By Jack Moss Last updated
-
Discover these fashion brands at London Craft Week
During London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
By Hannah Silver Last updated
-
Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London
By Laura Hawkins Last updated
-
V&A spotlights the sartorial and social significance of the kimono
For the latest endeavour of London's Victoria and Albert Museum, Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk explores the evolution of the iconic Japanese garment
By Grace Cook Last updated
-
Erdem A/W 2020 London Fashion Week Women's
By Laura Hawkins Last updated