Deconstructed Structure at Erdem Fall 2014 (Runway Review)

The Scene: Erdem’s “weird … army of girls” infiltrated the Old Selfridges Hotel, and met little resistance. The hotel, with plush red carpeting and dark lighting, fostered an abandoned feeling.

The Inspiration: Fuzzy black and white images, “The seen and the unseen. The strong and the delicate. The pale and the dark,” Erdem Moralioglu told Style.com. Erdem listed 60s French icons like Anna Karina and Betty Catroux, 17th-Century Velázquez infantas, 18th-century botanicals, and Romanovs fleeing the Bolsheviks as inspirations for his “army of girls.” While Erdem said the theme was revolution, there was also quite a bit of the familiar Erdem aesthetic.

The Look: Strong inspirations begot strong looks referential to old world beauty. Velvet and lace looks were soft, but structured. Appliques were statement making, especially on a white, matted fun fur coat. Croc-embossed leather and metallic jacquards looked a bit like armor but still very feminine and not too literal. There was a deliberate sense of deconstruction, with floating seams at shoulders, necklines and elbows, raw embroidering and loose threads. It wasn’t the bohemian, messy look associated with distressing, but more of a cohesive artistic statement. As on many runways, there were more floral themes than one might expect for fall, but stuck to the painterly trend we’ve been seeing. Figure skimming beaded little black dresses and glittering metallic jacquard coats in voluminous silhouettes are sure to be must-have pieces from this runway.

The Accessories: Pointed ankle-strap shoes came in both pumps and flats, black, gold and maroon. 

The Beauty: Makeup artist Val Garland was inspired by Village of the Damned and the photographer Sarah Moon for this sparse look. Brows and lips were toned down with concealer and eyes were left mostly bare. The hair look by Anthony Turner was as if the girls with sleek, slick ponytails on other runways had slept on them, woke up and wore them out again. It was still a low pony with a center part but a much softer look inspired by Jane Eyre.

images: IMAXtree