James Gabrillo
It was a bright comeback. Returning to London Fashion Week after an eight-year absence, British designer Zandra Rhodes graced the gilded Hotel Cafe Royal on Friday — in her signature fuchsia bob, of course — to present a collection inspired by Malaysia.
It was a line that took its cue from the Asian nation’s native fabrics, such as batiks and songket (hand-woven silk), with Rhodes adding her trademark zing to produce an explosion of colour and pattern. Yet the clothes remained wearable.
The standouts are the jacquard weaves and silk pieces that had been hand-painted with banana leaf prints — a product of Rhodes’s reliably innovative approach to garment construction. The (slightly bonkers) bejewelled visors atop the model’s heads were fun, too.
It’s as if the charming style stalwart, who turned 75 on Saturday, is still experimenting — and why not?
artslife@thenational.ae
