IF ever there was a reason to be cheerful, it was Meadham Kirchhoff's show this afternoon – we were met at the Old Eurostar Terminal at Waterloo station by towers of pale pink and blue balloons – and the show began with a gaggle of dolly birds trussed up in silky pink slips with matching tights, all pulling their dresses off to powder puff themselves and showing off their neon bra straps in the process. Then they burst into a cancan as the models started parading around them – and never have you seen a group of journalists trying to watch and write at once with such difficulty. There was so much to see.
“You almost could have missed the clothes, it was such a fantastic show,” said Lucinda Chambers afterwards. “But then with these two you never do – among the madness and wonderfulness of them there are some really exquisite clothes.”
It was pantomime fantasy – think white bubble wigs, neon lips and glitter – mixed with the Magic Roundabout in a nursery rhyme mix up: clownish platforms of layered glittery rubber and frills let the models stomp around in pompom dresses of ostrich feather, big rhinestone knickers, cardigans smothered in hearts and dollies and apron dresses featuring teddy bear faces.
Among them there were brilliantly tailored, laser-cut leather jackets, little checked gym slips and lace-edged brocade dresses in the full sweetie spectrum – later they had stiffened, exaggerated hips to echo the shape of huge ruffle-bottomed lace knickers that came next.
Then out came a team of darling little ballet girls in red ribboned shoes and tutus with huge butterflies at the back, twirling and plié-ing their way to the back of the catwalk where they posed on a giant glittering cake – if one or two of yesterday’s shows were tear-jerking, this really got us going.
For all its eccentricity, it was brilliantly conceived and not remotely as camp as it sounds – Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff create wondrously imaginative worlds on their catwalks, but they’re deadly serious about their craft. Quite earnest in their demeanour, to meet them you’d never think they could come up with something this outlandish and magical – which makes it all the more compelling and spectacular.
With thanks to Mercedes Benz.
SEE THE MEADHAM KIRCHHOFF SHOW ARCHIVE