It says a lot about the power of Shayne Oliver’s latest Hood by Air collection when I say that the prevailing image guests were left with, while making their way back out to a frosty Wall Street, was the finale look of a giant fur jacket that bounced and moved with every step, while strapped tight in the middle by a knitted HBA band and not of the models’ faces or lack of. You see, they were wearing sheer tights, some of which had sideburns painted on. That’s how good that fur jacket was.
You could read a lot in this collection – you could see it as a witty polemic on gender stereotypes or you could look at it as a pretty desirable collection of staple pieces post-HBA treatment. Either way, it was strong. The key pieces were pairs of sharply pleated trousers that either billowed out or were buttoned in to the sides. Over these, a hell of a lot happened - more pleating on white shirts with bondage straps on the sleeves or expertly cut camel trench coats and oversized striped mohair knits with stretched out sleeves. When the trousers weren’t in play, long t-shirt dresses with super high slits sat under logoed puffa jackets. The tailoring was quite something, particularly when it came to a black coat with cut out shoulders and another with a zip running down one side whilst a row of straps hugged the other. Good clothes. The rest, is noise.