Rue du Mail

Posted 1st October 2009 00:00 BY Laura Bradley

Shown at the atelier on the Rue du Mail, head designer Martine Sitbon's latest collection incorporated delicately feminine, appealing designs that will continue to score points with buyers and her dedicated customer base. A succession of dresses (all of them thigh-high) were punctuated by the occasional belted trench and trouser and shorts looks. Promoting a flattering palette of black, lilac, soft grey, red, blush pink, nude and yellow gold, the designs saw Sitbon experiment with an array of details and fabric techniques. The first section of the show focused on the ruffle, placed around a low-cut neckline, shoulders and the waist. Sitbon then stepped it up a gear, introducing embellishments, draping, metallic and pleated panels and a series of three-tiered silhouettes. Appliqué strips down the fronts of dresses that resembled animal prints at first glance, added another dimension to the dresses. Some looks worked a number of the techniques for example, a dress split into three sections with a metallic vest, a skirt area adorned with broken crystal slithers and a belted middle panel. The combination could have ended up over-complicated but Sitbon's execution was effortless, perhaps aided by the use of one colour. Seams and hems appeared to be another focus point - seams were either made explicit through transparent fabrics or covered over by thin silver strips, hems sometimes non existent with rolled overlays at the bottom of dresses. The fabric choices and embellishments were mostly bang on the mark, save for the heavy crystal beading around the neckline of a simple black dress, which felt like something we have seen too many times before. The collection closed with a series of looks realised in a striking yet subtle iridescent tie-dye print, combining colour for the first time to positive effect.