Marques’Almeida S/S 2016

Scene setting: The design duo’s show notes said that above what was most important for them for S/S 2016 was to maintain their raw approach in spite of their May LVMH Prize win. What the cash injection did do was to afford Marta Marques and Paulo Almedia the luxury of being able to choose their preferred show space – in this case a dilapidated warehouse in London’s Angel.

Mood board: Citing singer-songwriter Fiona Apple, best known for her soul searching storytelling in the Nineties, as muse, this season’s collection continued the pair’s signature unravelling and deconstructing. Co-ordinated, top and pant looks were a theme, with a backless halter neck taking centre stage in various states of distress and fabrications from suede to denim and even shot silk.

Best in show: Spring’s re-occurring buckle fastening, which finished halter tops and silk blouses along with a particularly avant-garde hessian wrap skirt, made voluminous by its raw ruffle tiers. A trench in the same fabric was another example of how the pair’s undone aesthetic continues to be refined without loosing any of its individuality.