Lou Dalton is a designer who whispers rather than shouts, and we thank her for it. She deals in subtlety, detail and finishes rather than flashy decoration or gimmicks. She seemed keen to emphasise that substance more than ever for A/W 15 if the palette was anything to go by; black dominated. You got the sense that wasn't so much an aesthetic decision as a desire to prevent the audience from getting distracted by surface and direct their attention towards form.
Dalton is a great tailor and that shone more than ever this season; her outerwear was both complex and effortless at the same time. A layering affect made it impossible to tell if models wore one jacket or many at the same time. Similarly, her details were even more intriguing than we're used to. Pocket experimentation was a big feature - they'd been emphasised as bold, cheerful circles peaking out the front of a bomber and enlarged into macho cartoon slits on the side of jackets. Where Dalton had let colour creep in it was intriguing, unexpected and oddly sensual. There were no pops of neon or bold primaries as we're used to in London, but moody, off beat hues - a great forest green or an almost ugly dusty pink. They were worthy colours for a collection that seduced through its quietness rather than its bite. How refreshing.
