For her AW18 collection, Roksanda draws inspiration from art – this season by exploring the body of work from Parisian artist Caroline Denervaud, who had studied dance and choreography.
Using intrinsic, dance like movements to explore emotion, Caroline makes sweeping strokes across her canvas to portray colour, shape, balance and form. The designer uses this influence to reveal her unexpected and modern femininity once more, presenting her collection at London Fashion Week.
Bold silhouettes are created in a crescendo of embroidered and sheer tulle dresses are inspired by the delicacy of Caroline’s paintings, romantic technique, light and transparent. Layers of hand cut tulle shapes merge to create a cloud of volume, craft and colour. Hand dyed organza is ripped into strips and sewn to create soft tassels. Bugle beads secure floating Italian sequins, laser cut and tucked like polka dots between layers. Black cords and yarns resemble Caroline’s mark making, while ribbons and grosgrain dance out of time to mimic paint strokes.
Denervaud’s abstract combinations inspired the foulard dresses in contrasting colours, detailed with silk necklines and elegant trailing ties.
Roksanda is best known for her dresses, but this season we also saw classic cashmere blend tailoring. Outerwear was mainly in camel shades layered with double faced felted wool and chunky hand knit, contrasting with delicate, tumbled silk satins and tulle.
Reminiscent of a modern traveller were softly quilted coats and scarves in crisp cotton poplin are. Fringed mohair blankets were wrapped effortlessly around the body and transform into skirts and coats, pinned with natural and cut stones, amethyst, jade and agate, adding organic elegance. Light, sculptural shapes and silhouettes have Roksanda’s signature voluminous sleeves, fabric softly rolled and tucked by hand to create bounce and movement.
The colour palette was a mix of jade, camel, marine and powder pink, with storm blue, forest green, coral and amber.
Accessories are once again Roksanda’s bag range crafted in soft calves leather; New fringed, woven styles and Roksanda’s signature structural resin and new dyed wooden handles in Delphinium, Toffee, Saffron, Amber, Ice White, and Black.
All teamed with feminine colour blocked mules and knee high boots in suede, leather and mock croc in collaboration with Malone Souliers.
Images courtesy of Roksanda