For the “D9” drop of his label Dundas, designer Peter Dundas clearly had a lot of fun imagining what a “subversive bourgeoise” would wear on holiday.
“Her base for the summer is an eco-leather bathing suit worn with feather-light organdy patchwork dresses on top,” the designer said backstage at his show on Monday. “And fishnets, of course.”
Mixing florals, studded eco-leather, sequins and fishnets is risky business, but the overall bubbliness of Dundas’ collection would win over even the most hard-hearted fashion critics.
Printed chiffon dresses had an open front, allowing the skirt to trail behind the models strutting confidently down the runway, showing their high-waisted eco-leather underwear. Flirty off-the-shoulder dresses looked fresh, feminine and strongly Mediterranean, adorned with wild prints inspired by the garden of the designer’s holiday home in Greece. There were also sequined animal-printed mini dresses and Lurex polka-dot sheer blouses, some of them worn with tiny ruffled eco-leather shorts, to hit the clubs after a day at the beach.
“There are more accessories this season: Everything you see on the show is commercialized and with a smart price point,” said Dundas, who chose to live-broadcast the show’s backstage preparations via a huge screen on the runway. Romantic Grecian dresses were given an edge thanks to thick corset belts, studded stiletto heels sported oversize bows on the back of the ankle while the models’ hair was held back with either studded eco-leather or chiffon headbands.