LAURA CRAIK: Will feathers on footwear really fly off the shelves next season?
They say birds of a feather flock together, and this was certainly the case at the Erdem show on Sunday – even if the feathers in question popped up in unexpected places.
Actresses Hayley Atwell and Felicity Jones took their front row seats for the London Fashion Week event wearing supersized marabou feather slippers that wouldn’t have looked out of place on Big Bird from Sesame Street.
It’s to Erdem’s credit that they still managed to look strangely covetable – if a little ticklish.
While feathers might be a rather unusual embellishment to choose for footwear designed to pound the pavements, Canadian-born designer Erdem Moralioglu didn’t make his name by prioritising life’s practicalities.
His romantic, whimsical creations come into their own on the red carpet, and his biggest fans were out in force to see what they’ll be wearing for spring/summer 2027, including Industry star Marisa Abela, Ruth Wilson and Lashana Lynch, with the latter two also in flighty footwear.
More feathers flew on the catwalk, as Erdem offset masculine tailoring with hyper-feminine gowns that took their influence from the boudoir.
Marabou feathers came spilling out of the sleeves of silk dressing gowns, while ostrich feathers added volume and structure to flapper-style dresses with a 1920s feel.
There were no supersized shoes later at the Mulberry show, but plenty of supersized bags.
Front row frolics: Actresses Marisa Abela, Felicity Jones, Lashana Lynch, Ruth Wilson and Hayley Atwell
Walking on wings: Felicity Jones at the Erdem catwalk show in London, England
Hayley Atwell attends the Erdem catwalk show at The Roundhouse in London
Mulberry is one of Britain’s most well-loved heritage brands, and fans including TV presenter Cat Deeley and model Jodie Kidd were out in force to see what its new designer, Lanarkshire-born Christopher Kane, would unveil for his debut collection for the leather goods house.
Any customers in the market for a bag that fits everything but the kitchen sink – although even that might fit at a stretch – will likely make a beeline for the Bayswater, Mulberry’s most popular bag throughout the early 2000s.
For spring/summer 2027, it came supersized in hues including silver and dark brown. Kane also introduced a new handbag style, the Stevie, a top-handle bag in a variety of berry shades enlivened with gold hardware.
Outerwear included parkas with exaggerated funnel hoods, while checks drawn from the Mulberry archive were used on oversized shirts and calf-length winter coats. The leatherware was exceptional and included tank dresses and miniskirts.
A promising debut by Kane, and one that deserves to reposition Mulberry as a force on the international stage.
