The Spring/Summer 2016 fashion show at John Richmond got off to a wobbly start. Literally.
Models were stumbling along the runway in their five inch chunky sandals. It was so bad at one point, one model made it a little past halfway and turned back around as the crowd gasped. And that was a shame, because the footwear was the high point of the show.
Chunky heels were made with Perspex or diamante and were embellished with oxford tufts or studs. There was a broad range of colors too – from olive green to canary yellow and a variety of metallics.
The rest of the collection was dominated by futurism-meets-art deco architecture digital printed blouses and cocktail ensembles.
Flapper girl dresses, reminiscent of Gucci's "The Great Gatsby" dalliance, were made with black chiffon and gold beads. In the same vein, there were some long transparent gowns that were hand-embroidered with a spidery pattern of beads that highlighted, in an ever so subtle way, the models' thong undies. All of this perfect for the dark rock princesses that Richmond celebrates so much with his women's line time after time.
As usual, Richmond stays true to his clientele and mass of glitterati pop culture fans – this time, however, his collection seemed bogged down in the past and slightly out of touch with the now and the future of fashion.