Glasgow’s Deryck Walker drew quite a crowd at the rather labyrinthine Royal Academy of Arts this Monday. Part of the increasingly popular On/Off schedule, there was bustling and shuffling abound once doors opened. The theme seemed to be futuristic tailoring; less Balenciaga ‘Tron’, more angular classics, much of the collection was surprisingly wearable perhaps down to the overwhelming amounts of black and white. That’s not to say that this didn’t make any nod to the obscure.
Straightforward boxy black suits with Deryck’s trademark crisp white shirts, suddenly revealed three dimensional geometric ‘sculptures’ from the back, hanging from the fabric like built-in accessories. These ‘windmill art installations’ as he calls them, lifted the collection and injected a touch of fantasy and theatricality into some otherwise standard structures. The accents of leather and the occasional peek of knitwear added variety and the glittering black molded hats by bespoke milliner Justin Smith were beautiful, a nice touch especially on the boys.
This was Deryck’s first swing at women’s wear, keeping the shapes masculine and sharply cut was a nice move, androgyny is always a good way to go and the slim fit suits, (again in striking monochrome) were beautifully cut. Dresses also made an appearance, some incorporating straight, hard-lines and making reference once again to the boxy, angularity of his menswear. The whole collection had a slightly icy feel to it, those sharp edges almost transforming the fabric into armour. Warm and cuddly obviously isn’t his thing but who knows, come spring/summer we may just welcome a bit of slick tailoring amongst the inevitable onslaught of floaty and floral.
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