Scene setting: Hussein Chalayan presented his ‘Entitle’ collection at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. The performance art-focused venue was particularly apt, as the designer’s collection was a protest against the theatre of social media, and a culture of self-worth that is based on likes, comments and going viral. Motifs in Chalayan’s collection – marked by oversized tailoring, draped silhouettes and exaggerated proportions – riffed on the rise of digital sensationalism. Swarovski-detailed Post it Notes flickered off column dresses, and models were shrouded by sunglasses and gauzy headscarves.
Mood board: The show climaxed, models appeared on stage, clad in long column gowns and wearing sparkling embellished headdresses, which squared their visage. Were these faces that had lost their identity, overshadowed by the angular frame of their phones, or people born again by the glittering beaded foliage around them?
Best in show: A series of charcoal-grey opening looks were a refreshing lesson in finely cut tailoring. These included a slouchy V-neck shirt jacket and a well formed narrow strapped playsuit; the pieces spoke of Chalayan’s signature silhouettes. An electronic soundtrack pulsed in the background, while the lyrics ‘I missed my VCR for so long’ nodded to the designer’s sentimentality for an earlier age.
