Gareth Pugh

...Has done it again!
Amazing eh? Dead rats and sexy black fringing!

Here's vogue.com's report on the show - Enjoy!

GARETH PUGH
WE'VE long since known the Gareth Pugh show was going to be one of the hottest tickets of the week, yet even the forewarning couldn't have prepared us for the rugby-like scrum that greeted us on arrival at the BFC Tent at the Natural History Museum. People appeared to be row-hopping left, right and centre to get into optimum viewing position for the spectacle we all knew was about to burst onto the catwalk in front of us - even Anna Wintour's bodyguard was yelled at by the organisers for standing in the wrong place (then subsequently for not budging). When the haunting intro to Robert Miles' Children started playing from the loudspeakers, it did little to subdue the crowd - rather, it seemed to whip them into a frenzy of anticipation, culminating in a scream as the huge red bubble that had previously been blocking the entrance to the catwalk burst with a deafening bang and the first model, with a cube for a head, stalked out like a Swarovski-spangled cyber-minx from some bizarre spawn. Cube-head aside, Pugh's girls were less theatrically made up than in previous seasons (though we're not sure those conical hats and witch-like hair extensions will catch on either), lending a greater focus to the clothes, which managed to retain a certain commercial sensibility within their outrageous kookiness. Black leather dominated the collection, slashed into lengthy fringes that hung from the shoulders and waistbands of dresses with just bare skin showing underneath - one impressive jacket boasted wings made of dense leather sleeves. A subversive Michael Jackson reference was clear in silver crystal-dotted socks pulled over spray-on black trousers and glittering cerise fingerless gloves that were teamed with a heavy black fur jerkin on a punk-headed male model; a black dress with hugely accentuated, gem-studded shoulders also appeared to mimic Jackson's military phase. Less graphic than in previous seasons, the focus seemed to be firmly on silhouette over pattern - pieces notable for their wearability included a sheer, black, bib-front blouse, teamed with a lampshade skirt, and a high-necked body-con dress with crystal inserts. A coat collar formed out of mice hammered home Pugh's couldn't-give-a-toss approach to horror, though the crowd fell palpably quiet all the time it was on view. By the time Agyness Deyn closed the show in a mini dress striped with S&M-style chains and strips of leather attached to its high collar like a leash, Pugh's fan club was back to full volume. If this is what fashion is meant to be - feverish, uninhibited excitement and unfettered creativity - then, for the time being at least, it seems Gareth Pugh is in league of his own. (September 16 2007, PM)

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