Roland Mouret ramped up the sensuality for this 20th-anniversary collection — and his return to the London catwalk — with languid silhouettes that breezed across the concrete ground floor of The National Theatre. Although Mouret slipped in a few of his early career looks, he said the last thing he wanted was to look backward. Instead, the aim was to drive home his message of “louche sensuality,” with draped and slashed fabrics, tucks, pleats and playful details that suggested getting dressed — and undressed.
Myriad versions of the Dusty Springfield classic, “The Look of Love,” accompanied a lineup of elegant and feminine silhouettes — a short mauve wrap jacket fixed at the front with a kilt pin; a blanket coat that was draped and tucked to accentuate the body’s curves, and a belted one that was slashed high at the back.
Tops were loose and fluttery — one had a single draped sleeve, another was made with a soft fold at the back revealing a flash of skin, while a third had loose ties at the wrist that could be worn done — or not. Among the standouts was a black velvet cape, slashed here and there, with a silk rope tie — the designer’s wink to bondage. That’s all it was — a wink. Mouret never tips into vulgarity.
Following the show, the designer invited his top customers to join him upstairs for a trunk show — but it wasn’t a see-now-buy-now exercise. “Shows need to be longer, they need to take the customer on a journey, that’s why I’m doing it. I want to be there for my customer,” he said.
