LONDON FASHION WEEK AW17: ROLAND MOURET

Natalie Hanson   |   20-02-2017

Roland Mouret returned to London yesterday, showing his AW17 collection at the National Theatre, in a celebration of the 20 year anniversary of the label.

There is no doubt that Mouret loves women; he has made his name over 20 years by celebrating the female shape in all its forms, most famously with his iconic Galaxy dress that sculpted, molded and flattered all manner of curves and gained a sweep of celebrity endorsements. The tone for the show was set by the invites that stated ‘give her what she’s not afraid to ask for.’ This was reinforced by the soundtrack to the show being Burt Bacharach’s ‘The Look of Love’ sung by a medley of female artists from Anita Baker to Dionne Warwick.

Mouret of course delivered his signature shapes that long-time fans could delight in, namely a purple dress with geometric cut and raw edges exposed. He also played with different fabrics; a wool dress cut close to the body looked smart, elegant and new. Velvet added a luxe and wintery feel to the range, especially in the sumptuous midnight blue that he used for a top with mini shoulder cape detail and a skirt with exaggerated split to reveal a black underskirt. In juxtaposition to his more structured pieces, there were more delicate floral prints, one asymmetric dress gave a softer silhouette in elegant chiffon, but was cut just right so it hugged the figure and accentuated curves. Orange and blue dresses gave sophisticated pops of colour to the collection.

At the end of the show, a nice touch was that loyal, longtime customers of Mouret’s were invited upstairs to a special showroom where they could pre-order looks they had just seen on the catwalk.

London holds a place in Mouret’s heart and it appears the feeling is mutual. With a sleek and well executed show, the London fashion pack were left hoping that Mouret elects not to return to Paris and continues to show in Britain’s capital in the future; let’s see if their wish comes true.

To read about how Roland Mouret looks back on his 20 years in the business, click here

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