Mood board: Paula Gerbase's notes may have read the 'The Eloquence of Ornament', but her show opening - a series of ribbed funnel necks, layered over similarly knitted tabards and three-quarter length pants - soon made apparent that her obsession continues to be fabrication, rather than overt embellishment. The only exception was the designer's introduction of a fine metal, almost tribal, ring fastening, which was used to sculpt her alpaca bouclés and secure her masculine tailoring to the body.
Scene setting: Gerbase chose the Barbican Centre's conservatory oasis as her new A/W venue, which transplanted guests into a luscious urban jungle as the winter sun set through the Brutalist building's transparent roofing.
Best in show: In keeping with the garden theme, utilitarian workwear staples from flap-pocketed five button jackets to boiler suits and woollen parkas were updated in the finest textiles. Gerbase reverted back to her knitwear's monastic purity, too, pairing apron topped pleated pants back with her signature starched Swiss cotton voile shirting.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
