Holly Fulton once again brought poolside glamour to London Fashion Week with her striking art deco prints, high octane swimwear and sundowner cocktail dresses.
However, the Holly Fulton girl has blown all her cash on living the high life and while dressed for Las Vegas, her staycation will be on a beach closer to home – Margate!
Holly Fulton is a very clever designer – she develops her unique art deco print each season and brings back certain motifs from past seasons (coral is a continual favourite), so that her brand identity is etched onto your brain.
The 90s are a strong focus for the new collection with checkerboard tote bags, zebra-print bomber jackets, studded mini-skirts, high-cut swimwear, boxy tailoring, big earrings and acid orange clutches.
But wasn’t all 90s rave-wear for ‘the kids’, as there were some stunning, breezy strapless cocktail dresses in soft yellow and pastel blue with reflective mosaic patterns and elegant feather trims worn with statement necklaces.
Sleek palazzo pants are a big part of the collection and each pair features a print with a variation of Holly’s seaside themes – coral, checker flags, shells, jellyfish, seahorses.
The palazzo pants were shown with loose silk t-shirts, sheer blouses, slinky bandeau tops and cropped embellished silk vests.
One of the most interesting new looks was a silk shift dress featuring a Pucci-esque illustrated underwater scene with psychedelic jellyfish and other whimsical marine life.
The Pucci reference continued with patterned silk scarf bandanas to compliment the affluent poolside look.
It seems to me that Holly Fulton’s strength is Spring/Summer, as she can be more daring with the silhouettes and her signature colour palette of canary yellow and swimming pool blue lend well to a lighter season wardrobe.
My only criticism would be that the bikini tops aren’t particularly well-cut, as they don’t appear to contour the body, resulting in either bagginess or under-spillage on the models (god help the civilians)!
Overall, it was another glamorous, covetable and exciting Spring/Summer collection from Holly Fulton. Now with her own dedicated spot on the LFW schedule (previously partnering with David Koma), Holly Fulton can develop further and lead the way for young London designers.
For more info, visit: www.hollyfulton.com