If most spectators brushed off the dressing gown likeness of Gareth Pugh’s first exit at Wednesday’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection as an unlikely – if not impossible – theme for the goth prince, they were in for a surprise. Following in the wake of the turquoise dress and its silky train, a glitzy collection best described as spaceship loungewear took shape. There was a glamorous forties housewife air about the floor-length dresses, robes and kimono-like cardigans, which seemed to reference a certain conventionalism, or perhaps the idea of the white picket fence.
The world of domestic perfection, however, is never what it seems and Pugh’s collection did have its dark elements. While the shiny Star Trek-y half circle shoulders, which eventually appeared in jackets and boleros, looked less out of place in Pugh’s universe than the fancy boudoir dresses, they had a somewhat distracting effect on a collection, which was otherwise a very interesting exploration of the reach of the designer’s very defined aesthetic. Massive Yeti-like headpieces in ostrich feather further pushed the decadent glam to another level, backed up by alien 3D makeup and forties hair, which once again hinted at a Stepford Wives kind of motif. All was not well in idyllic suburbia, but in amongst the token theatricalities, Pugh proved that his universe is a lot more versatile than you’d think.
