Matthew Miller’s collection conjured a tender mood of youthful idealism, with its slouchy tailoring spiked with rebellious touches. Consider silk bomber jackets with multiple butterfly motif buttons pinned at the chest, or a fluid camel duster coat with a swatch of material tacked onto its back with large safety pins, bearing the words “megasonic teenage warhead” and a mushroom cloud image.
Among the disparate influences Miller cited in his show notes were England’s first wave of skinhead culture, and John Constable’s paintings, specifically one of his cloud studies. The designer skillfully played on that tension between the aggressive and the romantic. He fashioned a jean and denim jacket combo — worn by a tough model with a shaved head — in a dreamy cloud print, while the tonal check pattern woven into drapey viscose pants and jackets — their cut based on a kimono — was inspired by the checks that were a hallmark of skinhead style.
These men’s and women’s looks made a powerful statement, their raw elements giving Miller’s tailoring a jolt.