Wooyoungmi A/W 2017

Models wearing clothing by Wooyoungmi — Wooyoungmi A/W 2017. Photography: Jason-Lloyd Evans

(Image credit: Jason-Lloyd Evans)

Mood board: The mood for next season is overwhelmingly driven by the passion of artists. In a time of uncertainty, designers are creating a softer look that is more poet than punk. Madame Woo and daughter Katie Chung were inspired by the look and sprit of Oscar Wilde, embodied in the iconic photographs taken shortly after his arrival in New York in 1882 by Napoleon Sarony. The research then turned naturally to other artistic and intellectual movements in the late 19th and early 20th century. Wilde’s pomp was here but with the attitude and textiles of the forward-thinking Bloomsbury set. A/W 2017 is definitely a call to poetic action.

Finishing touches: The clothes were a mix of twisted wardrobe staples; generous double-sided felt coats, long exaggerated cuffs on raffish knits, velvet frock coats and flares in deep purple. Shirting had ruffled plackets and large, high collars. Peignoir coats and slippers brought Wilde and his fin de siècle coterie into the beginning of our own century.

Sound bite: ‘This season is about the young poet today – we had a lot of inspiration from The Petit Palais exhibition on Oscar Wilde. We really believe that there are boys like that living today, who are that poetic and romantic. Artistic, but living in the here and now. We wanted to capture a dreamy sophistication which is street at the same time,’ said Katie Chung.

London based writer Dal Chodha is editor-in-chief of Archivist Addendum — a publishing project that explores the gap between fashion editorial and academe. He writes for various international titles and journals on fashion, art and culture and is a contributing editor at Wallpaper*. Chodha has been working in academic institutions for more than a decade and is Stage 1 Leader of the BA Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins. In 2020 he published his first book SHOW NOTES, an original hybrid of journalism, poetry and provocation.