Matthew Miller’s crumpled take on frayed at the edges workwear will have you eager to do overtime.

“Conform / Control / Restraint”

For SS16, Matthew Miller riffed on that self-imposed modern uniform that millions wear every day – namely, workwear – and made us all wish we worked in an office. Slender models with the blank stare of the desktop drone moved monotonously to Savages’ words: “don’t let the fuckers get you down, don’t let them wonder why you frown”. Wide and double-breasted jackets were worn with cropped pants and Robert Clergerie shoes.. Short-sleeved tunics were shown over white shirts and ties, a staple which underpinned many of the looks.

Crumpled paper

Creased linen created volume in long line coats, suiting and tunic dresses for the girls, reminiscent of contents of wastepaper basket. Possibly, it was a reference to the crumpled feeling one might get in a lifetime of bureaucratic slavery. Offset by a simple palette of peach, white and navy, though the textures contorted the silhouette, the collection seemed no less wearable for it.

Raw edging

Frayed edging was a motif running through the production line-like carousel, from suiting to sweatshirts. Patchworks of frayed details on sweaters and tunics added a subtle grunge edge to the otherwise sterile-clean collection. Longer length tunics, worn under sharp jackets, literally added an edge to the storyline of the desk-based rebel.

Photography: Anabel Navarro.

Words: Rena Smith.