<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"Western Oddity: Mary Katrantzou The silver balloons that formed the backdrop to Mary Katrantzou\u2019s show recalled Andy Warhol\u2019s \u201CFactory\u201D in 1960s New York. But patterns of stars, hearts, ponies, butterflies and flames suggested a Wild West where, according to the designer\u2019s complex show notes, there are two archetypal childhood role models: the cowboy and the princess. Wait! Did I get that right? Sort of, if only I knew about Warhol\u2019s portraits of cowboys and queens, which she cross-pollinated with Prokofiev\u2019s Romeo and Juliet. Mary\u2019s strength is the light touch with which she handles dense print. I would call her show a frolic, but one that used such pattern-making skill that a semi-transparent dress with a giant butterfly preserving modesty at the bust just looked adorable. A revival of the headscarf as an accessory was a surprise, but it added a folkloric charm. And although I came out of the show with my head spinning, it was from her talent with colour and pattern on skirts short and long. Mary called the show \u201CLove\u2019s Young Dream\u201D. And why not? Anya Hindmarch: Fashion\u2019s Building Blocks If you are famous as a handbag designer, you might be expected to think \u201CAccessories!\u201D first and then clothes. But it seemed that the colourful building blocks that slid out by technological wizardry onto the runway were symbols of the Anya Hindmarch company growing bigger, brick by brick. The transformation was not so much in the famous bags, made in materials from python to leather cut into miniature squares like a board game; it was that the clothes themselves (and the shoes) had become fashion contenders. A tailored, wine-coloured coat edged by blocks of satin; another in grey with an appliqu\u00E9d white fur flower for a collar; or just a classic camel coat enlivened with a shearling collar, pockets and gloves \u2013 all made respectable, even powerful, outerwear. Let\u2019s put it this way: Using her knowledge of what women want and her artistic intelligence, Anya is making brand Hindmarch into a complete wardrobe entity. And the really smart bit is that the bags are as witty, pretty and practical as ever. Roksanda: Downsizing Roksanda Ilincic is famously tall, elegant and dramatic. Up to now, the same could be said of her bold clothes, with their geometric blocks of bright colours and elongated lines. But the designer has \u201Cdownsized\u201D her clothes and softened them, making shoes almost flat and pairing them with a tailored satin dress in vertical shades of burgundy, orange and black. That same idea of inserting panels of colour might bring a wiggling stripe \u2013 or a fur tippet at the neck for actual softness. All this added up to a polished sophistication that no longer seemed like Roksanda\u2019s \u201Cgeometricks\u201D. By increasing the number of daywear outfits \u2013 say trousers and a cape coat, where full satin sleeves came out of the slits \u2013 the designer expanded her range. Yet the eveningwear was also on-message, with silken pleats sliding into a long skirt. It takes a while for a fashion \u201Cvoice\u201D to find its range. But here Roksanda hit perfect pitch. Whether in fur, velvet or silk, and by using her distinctive graphic effects and ginger and pine-green colours, she refreshed her design aesthetic \u2013 in a very sophisticated way."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.vogue.it/suzy-menkes/2016/02/24/the-wit-and-wisdom-of-britains-women-designers/>