STRONG shoulders and nice clean graphics and prints, and fluid lines set the scene for Jean Pierre Braganza this afternoon. It was a collection that had somehow seemed to bridge the gap between the severity of autumn/winter 2011-12 and the paradisical softness of spring/summer 2011.
“It started with a trip to Cornwall. All blue sharp sky with rushing fluffy clouds. Smashing waves and bracing rocks,” explained the designer in the show notes, which he sweetly signed off with a “x”.
These crashing waves and rocks translated into refracted prints in grey and later red, the aforementioned strong shoulders and angular cut-out tailoring. There was an austere take on Art Deco – dropped-waist dresses in monochrome, those grey muted graphics again.
“Oh to live in a time of technological aspiration, when everything would be made perfect by the rise of the machines. Bodies were liberated and decadence was celebrated,” continued Braganza’s explanation.
Decadence came in the shape of glittering jewels around necks or occasional bejewelled dresses, while bodies were liberated in tuxedo dresses, harem pants – something of a JPB classic – and, towards the end, scuba-inspired looks. JPB’s girl isn’t a soft touch, she’s a tough touch.
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