Robert Cary-Williams fuk@lfw a/w 06

Inspired by Toulouse-Lautrec, AW06 sees enfant terrible Robert Cary-Williams paying homage to the ubiquitous can-can girl. Think Moulin Rouge with a hard military edge. Although this is collection caters for the girls and the boys, the main focus is on womenswear which has a somewhat eerie edge. Voluminous skirts are the main focus and how! Tight ruffles, frills, organza, glitter and pom-poms explode underneath hemlines in a cacophony of vibrant colours. The generic colour palette is khaki offset with Cary-Williams crazy mixture of fabrics.

The show itself was opened by model Lily Cole. Resembling a porcelain doll, she struck a pose in a military jacket juxtaposed with a spectacular patchwork skirt. A series of similar garments (some with crinoline structures) were showcased by other models in 1940's style hair and make-up and thick woollen over-the-knee socks. Rabbit fur took center stage both in men's and womenswear. Jackets were appliqued with gold sequins or sewn together in a random fashion. One outfit was rather curious; a black padded alien style headpiece teamed with a gold brocade evening dress seemed more costume than ready-to-wear. This may result in Robert encountering problems when it comes to manufacturing some of the more flamboyant garments.

The menswear (always great to see at LFW) used a similar aesthetic to the women's collection. Over-sized rabbit fur coats were teamed with glittery zip-up trousers. Suiting took a dandy-esque approach with khaki and distressed floral fabrics.

In short this is a strong, well considered collection. Shame about the fur...

www.robertcary-williams.co.uk

[Outfits with fur have not been shown here]

Words: Bianca Donnelly. Photos: David Jones.