“The New Romance”. “The New Nude”. “The New Innocence”. However you describe it, at first glance this is the ultimate in Sunday-school dressing. Pretty, demure, and thoroughly feminine, spring catwalks brought us sweetness and light in the form of chiffon and lace.
Take inspiration from the yards of delicate drapery at Dior, or the Ophelia-esque florals adorning models' hair and hems at Chanel. Downy organza and tulle in pale candyfloss shades at Luella complete the girlish transformation from last season. Ruffles, frills and flounces have ousted Autumn's extremes of biker leathers, acid colour blocking and severe super-structure. The backlash is absolute; this spring there's not a stud in sight.
But how innocent is this new innocence? After last season's overt power-bitch-dressing, spring's saccharine shades pale in comparison - but do they hide an equally subversive undertone? Cast a casual eye over the frothy dresses flouncing down the catwalk and they are perfect studies in pure, spotless prettiness. That is, before you glimpse an especially generous cut-out detail, a nonchalantly half-undone zip, a lingering skirt-slit; before you notice everything is over-short and over-sheer.
Dusty pink layers of chiffon at Nina Ricci are interrupted by corsettry and bandaged by a stark black belt. A short eggshell-blue shift dress is slashed with undone zips at Michael Kors. Satin and silk is crushed and crumpled into dresses more evocative of tousled bedsheets than church-wear, before being sent down Pringle and Calvin Klein runways. This is more Lolita than Ophelia, too sinful for saccharine Sunday school. Clean-cut pastels pave the way for the hidden to be exposed - sheer panels reveal a glimpse of a navel at Dior, a flash of a nipple at Burberry. It's not surprising that these romantic pastels walk hand-in-hand with exposed lingerie this spring.
Christopher Kane's puff-sleeve gingham most subversively embodies the look. Immediately suggestive of school uniform or Sunday best, gingham evokes the innocence also expected of the dress's blush shades. Yet - on closer inspection - lace detail, mesh panels, prominent corset structure and a thigh-high slashed skirt renders the dress almost obscene. The chiffon may be pastel and frothy, but the gingham fades down the skirt into a jagged, rough hem.
In comparison to last season, then, is this truly a backlash? Perhaps the rebellious overtones of those autumn studded leathers and extreme structures have simply hidden themselves as seductive undertones beneath this spring's romantic pastels. Is it simply the case that those 09 black lace masks at Valentino have shifted to Christopher Kane's ironically virginal white lace collars? That rivets and studs are now ribbons and peals, black leather is now nude leather. Whatever appellation is given to this look of provocative glamour beneath floaty pastel chiffon, if this is the new innocence, then innocence has been redefined for the better - this spring will be pale and interesting.
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