It’s no surprise that Henry Holland is a fan of Baz Luhrman’s Romeo + Juliet. Not only does the film embody the electric vibe characterised by House of Holland, but it also represent a bubble-like world where everyone would be quite likely to wear the girly, somewhat quirky clothes he designs. And so, for Spring/Summer 2014, Holland laid his scene in Venice Beach, which doubles for fair Verona in Luhrman’s film from 1996. On the front row, Harry Styles jammed along to Missy Elliott’s I’m Really Hot, which followed a Nicki Minaj cover of Doing It Well and added a suitable score to Holland’s stained glass-style tattoo prints on fifties dresses, a foil-like skater dress, and a sleeveless fuchsia lace dress paired with a matching lace cap.
It was all so hip-hoppy, but sometimes abruptly interrupted by hip-hop’s polar opposite, slight conservatism, for instance in the shape of a sensible patchwork check summer shirt and a lace skirt cut below the knee. But then again, Madonna (the saint, not the singer) was watching from a kitschy print on a jacket and a jumper, so the promiscuity was probably best kept to a minimum. It was a fun collection and one that really cemented the fact that House of Holland, much like Baz Luhrman, is as much about the universe, the bright lights and all that glitters as it is about the single product.
