Scene setting: Erdem Moralioglu transformed The Old Selfridges Hotel into a dimly lit and mysterious jazz club. The printed show booklets – placed on the chairs of guests each season – featured a set-up of the Cotton Club, a cult New York jazz bar that gained renown during the Prohibition Era. An empty club space waiting for revellers, the catwalk featured graphic chandeliers, tropical print screens, orchestral set ups, piled-up chairs, and lengths of luxurious fabrics. Inside the booklet, an advertisement for a show by Duke Ellington was juxtaposed with images of Queen Elizabeth (among them, HRH meeting the Cotton Club regular in 1958 at a Royal Command Performance). Moralioglu’s ornate and elegant S/S 2018 offering was an ode to the outfits Queen Elizabeth might have worn on a night out with Ellington at a downtown jazz club, dancing all night, concealed behind cat-eye sunglasses and wisps of cigarette smoke.
Mood board: There were sophisticated bell-shaped overcoats cut in floral jacquards and embellished with sparkling gem buttons, chic strapless dresses with rows of beaded bows, delicate puff sleeve tailored jackets, tweed suits and houndstooth fit and flare dresses. A truly regal affair, Moralioglu’s fifties-focused looks were topped off with long evening gloves, and twinkling earrings. Sparkling sandals were paired with black roll up pop-socks, seductively loose from a long night of illicit dancing.
Best in show: The designer also looked to Dorothy Dandridge for inspiration, a Cotton Club performer and the first African-American actress to to be nominated for an Academy Award in 1955. Her glamour and sexuality bought a more souped-up silhouette to the conservative styles expected of the Royal Family. One of the more outré looks in the collection comprised a cropped tweed bustier paired with a gauzy floral skirt. Layered on top was an aristocratic Argyle knit cardigan secured with a single top button, a sliver of royal-blooded skin revealed beneath.
Erdem S/S 2018.
Erdem S/S 2018.
Erdem S/S 2018.
Erdem S/S 2018.
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Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekFrom sumo wrestling to Singaporean fare, medieval manuscripts to magnetic exhibitions, the Wallpaper* team have traversed the length and breadth of culture in the British capital this week
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Doshi Retreat at the Vitra Campus is both a ‘first’ and a ‘last’ for the great Balkrishna DoshiDoshi Retreat opens at the Vitra campus, honouring the Indian modernist’s enduring legacy and joining the Swiss design company’s existing, fascinating collection of pavilions, displays and gardens
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Issey Miyake’s shape-shifting A/W 2025 collection transforms the paper bag into something you can wear‘Can anything be considered a garment, as long as it’s on the body?’ says creative director Satoshi Kondo of the art-infused collection, which sees the everyday reimagined
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Tyler Mitchell’s London show explores the figure of the Black Dandy, ‘imagining what else masculinity could look like’Originally part of a visual essay to accompany the Met’s ‘Superfine’ 2025 Costume Institute exhibition, ‘Portrait of the Modern Dandy’ goes on display at Gagosian Burlington Arcade in London this week
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Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind caféWallpaper* takes a tour of the Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up in London’s Soho, which celebrates the launch of a new ‘re-edition’ accessories collection spanning the greatest hits from the Japanese artist’s long-running collaboration with the house
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Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UKAs A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
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Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019 -
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine RoseThough slimmed-down, London Fashion Week nonetheless provided the moments of creative expression the city is known for – from Ahluwalia’s ode to Africa to Martine Rose’s much-anticipated runway return
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Discover these fashion brands at London Craft WeekDuring London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
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London Fashion Week S/S 2022: eight important insights to know nowFashion brands are back with a bang in The Big Smoke. Here’s everything you need to know from London Fashion Week S/S 2022
