Christopher Kane was thinking about his upbringing in Glasgow when he began designing his namesake label’s fall/winter 2023 collection. First there was the flowers—a recurring motif in the Kane universe—that he used to see spring up through the concrete on his walks to school. Then there were the animals—”working class animals”, as he calls them—that he’d see while passing by local farms: pigs, ducklings, and mice.
Those animals appeared as hyper-real prints on stretch jersey bodycon dresses (each print was generated by AI, adding to the collection’s slightly surreal feel), while the florals were printed on otherwise prim charcoal grey suits and midi-dresses. The latter seemed to evoke stiff children’s school uniforms, while other silhouettes referenced the working class uniforms of Kane’s mothers and aunts: waitresses, cleaners, and barmaids. The standout looks from the collection included fabulously bonkers oversized vinyl bustles—they appeared on black and fire engine red mid-length skirts, styled with more sombre grey and black knits. Other seemingly simple black looks featured statement bustles at the back. They didn’t necessarily scream “wearable” but they were a whole lot of fun.
Kane’s signature brand of off-kilter sex appeal has tantalised and excited women, both in Britain and around the world, since he launched back in 2006. This season, Kane included some of his most successful themes, namely lingerie-inspired after dark dressing: slip dresses featured risqué lace cups, and sexy cut-out mini dresses had OTT sequin-embellished peplum hems. Long-time fans like Alexa Chung and Poppy Delevingne sat front row, alongside pop star Jessie Ware and London fashion icon Princess Julia. They all left no doubt wondering whether or not they could pull off a vinyl bustle. The answer, if they were wondering, is “only if it’s by Christopher Kane”.
This article originally appeared on GRAZIA AU.