LFW Diary AW11: Jean-Pierre Braganza

Images throughout courtesy of Catwalking

On Friday afternoon I attended my first show at the new show space at the Chester Boyd venue, 8 Northumberland Avenue. Held in the main ballroom, the space was completely packed to the rafters even though it’s one of the biggest, with the exception of the central BFC show space. A former - albeit brief - lecturer at my university, this is the first season I’ve got into a Jean-Pierre Braganza show and had the opportunity to fully experience his design aesthetic in both mens and womenswear.

Entitled Positronyx, Braganza’s AW11 offering is a ‘cultivated collection for a woman who is a leader and a warrior’. Influenced by Science Fiction, Braganza’s heroines are fresh from the future, where dark uniforms are de rigueur for a more abstruse time when identity, security and societal controls are paramount.

With military tailoring denoting discipline and loyalty, shapes were contrasted between deconstructed and restricted. Motorcycle leather played a leading role - in the forms of crushed, nubuck and gloss - juxtaposed with suede, sheer silk and fur to create an array of futuristically sexy looks. Body-con was turned on its head with loose fitting knitted dresses, while embroidery, stud detailing and complex panelling played to Braganza’s strengths.

Bright splashes of fire red and cream cooled the heavily dark black and charcoal collection, adding another dimension to Braganza’s trademark strict femininity. Make-up by Terry Barber and the MAC PRO team was dramatic, with models heavily rouged up to the temples in what I’d call a ‘Mayday look’, made famous by the heroine that is Grace Jones. Gloves by Aspinal of London and footwear by Nicholas Kirkwood really added to this exquisite showcase.