You can always rely on Katie Eary to bring some fun to the LCM schedule. There are no cerebral statements at her show - just simple, straight-talking fashion. Well, in the case of S/S 14, loud-shouting fashion. With inspirations as varied as Southern Africa, the Acid house scene and Edinburgh football thugs what could you expect? This was never going to be a polite affair.
From the clashing oranges and pinks to the graphic, headache-inducing flamingo print this collection was something of a visual assault, apt given that it was titled 'Flamingo Massacre'. While the clothes were what we have come to expect from Eary - her colourful, oversized macho sportswear never varies much from season to season other than in print and hue - the story for S/S 14 was somewhat off kilter. It referred to a 'primitive gender war' with men as the 'lustful' primal 'hunters' and women the 'surreal male fantasy creatures' and 'desert lolitas decked out in pornographic party outfits', a scenario that could have been lifted straight from a The Only Way Is Essex episode summary. The reality was equally, and deliberately, as smutty - girls came out in barely-there bikinis and dolly bird pink wigs, while the boys sported strong silhouettes and showy leopard prints. Despite the ironic undertones - and the fact we're used to seeing a girl in a bikini at Katie Eary - the general vibe, when summarised so crudely, was a touch regressive even for a designer who prides herself on appealing to macho peacocks.
