Roland Mouret’s Galaxy dress celebrates its 10th birthday amongst a floral, geometric collection.

A Galaxy far, far away

Ten years a go Roland Mouret showed his legendary galaxy dress for the first time ever. A decade on and it’s almost impossible to find a celebrity who hasn’t worn it, or a high-street retailer who hasn’t tried to copy it. The difficulty for Mouret is that the essence of the famed dress is its simplicity – it is a rare form which both covers and reveals, with masses claiming it is the dress that makes a woman feel her sexiest – but the trouble in moving away from an iconic signature for a designer can be frustrating or disappointing. This SS16 however, the dress was celebrated: with a finale walk down of models in a whole colour spectrum of the dress – a much deserved hurrah.

Flowing Geometry

There was a collision of the geometric and the free falling in Mouret’s central offering this season: with triangular and semi-circular cutouts, spaghetti straps which met to frame skin angularly, or meshing which exposed patterns on the torso. These more structured uppers flowed down into much more languid lowers, seeing fuller skirts or trousers, which often flicked, billowed or were decorated by spaced out tiered ruffles. Never without a waist, Mouret’s looks also exposed shoulders and the décolleté: fine straps, one-shoulder wrap-tops, or an off the shoulder cap-sleeve – the designer continues to play with sensuality, his garments never straying outside of these lines.

Misprint

Florals du jour were served in feature prints throughout – blue on white lilies, hand drawn pansies in hot brights, and detailed carnations all made their way onto dresses and skirts. This felt a little over complicated, as the fit is what makes a Roland Mouret dress a winner. The laser cut floral skirts – one in black and one in midnight blue – were dreamy however – keeping in kilter with the direct nature and effortless simplicity of the collection. Overall, a mixed bag, with a wonderful ending.

Words: Tom Rasmussen