Amanda Wakeley's Modern Femme Fatales
By Lauren David Peden
February 15, 2006 @ 12:37 AM - London
At her show at the BFC Tent yesterday morning, already weary buyers and journalists filed into the venue after an interminable wait during which a parquet plywood floor was installed over the plain white catwalk.
Fashion-wise, it was worth the wait, as Wakeley showcased a series of uber-femme frocks, coats and trousers that took Daphne du Maurier's character, Rebecca De Winter, as their inspiration, but the designer tweaked the cut, colors and fabrications just enough to give the collection a wearable, modern spin.
To wit: mannish trousers recalled Katherine Hepburn but felt new thanks to their super-long, oversized proportions and the chocolate leather jacket with which they were paired. A slinky loden jersey turtleneck dress was decorous in cut but sexed up with a fitted pin tucked bodice, skinny ruched sleeves and a curved hem. Lace inserts on the hip and torso of otherwise ladylike gowns and day dresses provided more va-va-voom kick, a series of fur and chiffon shrugs recalled the 1930s without being too overt (ditto a belted lantern sleeve topper), and she introduced a slight Asian flavor in the way of kimono sleeved jackets and an obi-belted dress.
The wooden runway itself, however, while nice to look at, proved too much for many of the models, several of whom skittered around the corner when making their entrance before righting themselves and moving on and one of whom (2004 Ford Supermodel winner Camilla Finn) wiped out entirely, hitting the ground with a painful-sounding thud before gamely picking herself up and stoically strutting toward the photographer's pit (though she was noticeably absent from the final parade). After this, the audience sat with baited breath, waiting to see if there would be a nine model pileup on the freeway...err, runway.
Too bad the same love and attention that obviously went into the construction of this lovely, very pretty collection was not paid to the catwalk (or maybe it was the shoes?). Whatever the cause, it took a bit of the focus off Wakeley's strong, woman-friendly collection. And that's a shame.
