Philipp Plein S/S 2018

Mood board: The staging of Philipp Plein’s shows has included hiring New York Public Library and installing a full-size rollercoaster on the catwalk, not to mention appearances from musicians like Chris Brown, Rita Ora, L’il Wayne et al. Throw in BMX riding performers, skaters on marble and gold jump ramps and pyrotechnics and you’re as far away from your comfort zone as Plein wants to have you. It is always a brilliantly brassy affair.
 
Scene setting: Guests were treated to a bumper car ride replete with Plein showgirls. A spinning custom Ferrari with Plein’s name in flames emblazoned on the hood provided the Instagram story everyone was looking for. The show opened with songs from Grease with the cast decked out in Plein-light bombers and denim. This was followed by a procession of Audis riding on two wheels and a pair of motor-bikes speeding over ramps with fire flames. Then and only then came the collection of retro 50s via 80s looks of both mens and womenswear.
 
Finishing touches: Plein isn’t a cerebral designer. He is a man whose clothes come with razzamatazz, glitz and grease. S/S 2018 sat somewhere between Quentin Tarantino’s From Dusk Till Dawn, the Fast and Furious franchise and High School Musical. The clothes were faithful to the Plein oeuvre – outré crystal embellished denims, patched bombers, printed t-shirts and crocodile track pants – this time sieved through a much more cinematic, hornier Americana lens. Each of the models walked down the long road-marked catwalk smoking, or with a cigarette tucked behind their ear. But remember kids, smoking kills.