Roland Mouret A/W 2018

Mood board: After returning to the London Fashion Week schedule three seasons ago, Roland Mouret has presented his collections at the National Theatre, the Brutalist masterpiece on London’s South Bank. For A/W 2018, Mouret returned to the location with a collection which looked past the body hugging sensuality that has come to define his woman, incorporating cocooning ornate outerwear, chic androgynous tailoring and modern sportswear. It was a collection bursting with fabrications, from go-faster chevron lace knits to floral tapestry jacquards and chintz, mannish corduroy to patent foil, incorporating capes and bomber jackets, bold asymmetric knits, ruffled skirts and alluring lurex detail blouses.

Best in show: Mouret’s outerwear hit the high notes, and included a frayed belted coat in dandelion and maroon floral jacquard, a navy collared cape with sporty striped hems and a trench coat in plush pastel pink corduroy. The designer’s celebration of tailoring nodded to the technicality employed in his early career, and poised questions about the notion of the male gaze so heavily poignant in cultural commentary today. The Mouret woman may employ a hint of flesh, be that through a lace sock or the cut out of a blouse, but she’s in firm control of how much she displays.

Team work: The designer collaborated with Christian Louboutin on a range of footwear styles, including colourful brogues, chevron stripe ankle boots and stilettos.