Paolo Carzana always has a special location up his sleeve. Two years ago, he made his London Fashion Week debut with a runway staged in his own east London back garden.
The following season he took over a quintessentially British pub, and the season after that, he gave us a late-night pass to the British Library’s rare books section. Yesterday evening (September 18), he presented his SS27 collection with an intimate show held inside west London’s dramatic St Cuthbert’s Church.
A nearby editor remarked that she’d never been inside a church so dark or so late at night (it was 10:30pm by the time the show wrapped).
Outside the venue, guests could take in the full grandeur of the building, but inside, the interiors were covered by curtains of calico. Carzana had deliberately blocked our view – making the point that we don’t appreciate beauty until it’s taken away from us.
There we were, sitting inside one of London’s most magnificent churches after hours, and yet all we could see was four walls of calico. Several attendees vowed to return to the church in the future, but it’s not like the designer left us with nothing to look at.
This season marked a clear step up from his previous collections. While there has always been a magic to his work, his SS27 offering was distinctly more wearable than before.
He stayed true to his brand DNA – layers upon layers of tiered fabric, torn, knotted and draped around the body – while elevating the clothes in a way that could take them to red carpets, department stores and beyond. As the show finished, guests filed out of the church, only to discover the models lined up outside for one final look.
For the past two years, Carzana has been the hidden gem of London Fashion Week, and if yesterday’s show was anything to go by, he may not stay hidden for much longer.
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