LONDON, Sep 18, 2012/ — The setting was an exotic English garden paradise, with grass lining the route through the Ballroom entrance and into the show.
Guests including Kate Moss, Alexa Chung, Lana Del Rey, Rebecca Hall, Jessica Ennis, Vanessa Kirby, Gillian Anderson, Joanne Froggatt, Elizabeth McGovern, Romola Garai, Olivia Palermo, Harley Viera Newton, Atlanta de Cadenet, Tamzin Merchant, Freddie Fox, Sunday Girl were served fruit juices and bespoke rainbow cake baked by the Claridge’s pastry chef before entering the show.
None of them glitterati expected this treat, though the custom-made invitation containing a paint set and sketchpad was intriguing enough.
Then as guests approached Claridge’s hotel for Mulberry’s London Fashion Week show a theme of colour became clear, with gnomes from Mulberry’s very own English garden dip-dyed all the colours of the seasonal palette shown on the catwalk.
Described by creative director Emma Hill as a ‘blend of Mulberry’s English country heritage with a sorbet summer palette’ the Spring Summer 2013 collection shown on the catwalk featured a spectrum of colour, reinterpretations of classic tailoring and Seventies-inspired detailing.
On the catwalk, leather played an important part in womenswear as well as accessories, while the overriding feel of the collection was one of juxtaposing structured and relaxed shapes and silhouettes. Artisan-woven jacquard textures based on seasonal print designs were incorporated top to toe, alongside Seventies pleat detailing and reworked metalwork.
Alongside bag icons Del Rey and Alexa, the Spring Summer 2013 catwalk launched the Willow collection, featuring a beautiful structured tote with a zip-detached envelope clutch on the front, combining two bags in one style and embracing Mulberry’s English common-sense practicality for combining total practicality and covetable luxury.