London calling

The new season collections saw Sharon Wauchob’s debut in London, moving to the British capital from Paris. This was clearly related in her offering for SS17. Classic French fabrications such as Calais lace and fluid silk velvet have been used to create more relaxed, slightly punkish garments, more often associated with the styles of Wauchob’s new country of residence. Slip dresses in lace were worn over metallic silver trousers, tweed jackets over intricately embroidered gowns, trouser legs were crumpled and silk shirts slouched over shoulders and reached far over fingers in a slight devil-may-care, I-just-got-out-of-bed attitude. Not so Parisian, but oh so desirable!

Take me to Church

Talking about the devil, Wauchob’s SS17 show, which took place at the Saint Cyprian’s Church in Marylebone, did definitelyhave some underlying religious influences. There were the saints, in angelic, sheer dresses layered over light blue trousers, or patchwork ones in floral prints. The quintessentially British tech coats were reworked to be worn as capes, looking somewhat like a monk’s garb. Silk hoods, roomy pleated dresses and oversized jackets added to the vibe. One model wore her bag across the waist, the chain handle looking like the ropes on which monks hang their keys. But then it was all subverted with Wauchob’s signature lingerie-like pieces, the leather, the fluid metallic colours and the fierce-looking girls, many of whom sported a cropped hair cut, very much like the rebels of London.

Jewellery box

There were more surprises from Wauchob this SS17. Her accessories and jewellery were made in collaboration with Faberge, the iconic haute jeweller. The designer has taken his well-known egg, giving it a more modern spin by polishing the stones so that they reflected the metallic fabrications used in her garments and studding them with diamonds for a more edgy look. Hanging off necklaces, earrings and suspended in button holes, it was a minimalist jewellery with a big impact.