Art Deco greyhounds raced onto David Koma’s runway to inspire one of the designer’s sleekest, strongest collections yet.
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The dogs first reared their heads on a Deco-fresh black-and-white jumper—or so it seemed, until we noticed that every pair of Alain Quilici’s shoes used sculptures of seated greyhounds as the heels.
‘They’re the fastest and most elegant dogs in the world,’ Koma told us backstage after the show. ‘They represent the rigour of 18th century oil paintings, but at the same time, when you watch the dogs racing, they’re so modern and sporty.’
Modern, sporty and aristocratic just about sum it up. Rich purple, navy and raspberry skirts and jackets came embossed with small squares for a houndstooth texture. Dresses and tucked-in sweaters and skirts had the black, curvilinear side panels that all women love.
Koma set aside last season’s 3D Perspex wedges for subtler embellishments. Glossy stainless steel eyelets sat flat to the body and allowed glimpses through to the fabric or flesh beneath. Koma passed strips of fabric through hip-level eyelets on some of the garments, creating clever scarf peplums that moved in the catwalk breeze.
‘I was just purely enjoying what I was doing this season,’ Koma said. ‘From the beginning of the season, I told my team, “Let’s make looks that we love.” This felt very, very natural.’
