London Fashion Week : Inbar Spector

Any show that kicks off with a thundering blast of Black Sabbath is awesome in my opinion. There is a distinct lack of heavy metal in fashion, and whilst some might argue that’s a good thing, they would be, actually, wrong. Inbar Spector clearly agrees -- her Autumn/Winter collection was a spectacular homage to all things metal. I loved it so much, I’ll even forgive them for starting a spectacular 45 minutes late…

I think the main reason I loved this collection so much was that it summed up myself, circa 1998. Aged 14, filled with pent up teen angst and a penchant for all things loud and dark, my staple wardrobe was black, topped off with the omnipresent, oversized black backpack. Israeli designer Spector took the humble rucksack as her starting point for this collection, along with the theme of gothic glamour. Mulling over the press release (and I had plenty of time to mull), I was somewhat unnerved as to how this rucksack mania was going to translate, let alone the idea of (shudder) gothic glamour. However there was no need to fear, although the idea of the backpack was a very literal translation (padded straps on dresses, zip pockets, drawstrings), somehow it managed to work.

There were a couple of instances where the rucksack theme wasn’t quite as succesful -- a few of the dresses featuring strappy corseting on the back came off looking more like orthopaedic back rests than feminine belts. The theme also started to wear a little thin towards the end of the collection -- every single outfit in a collection of more than 20 looks had some element of rucksack, which did seem a little much. Chiffon, crinoline style dresses worked surprisingly well with the theme though, as did a dramatic trench with zips and pockets used to create a strangely feminine shape. The more obvious use of buckles and straps -- body-con dresses, biker-style jackets and tight trousers -- worked equally well, unsurprisingly.

In keeping with the ‘Rachael Gibson aged 14’ theme, the collection was predominantly black, with a couple of pieces in cream and white. These were no less successful, and a peachy body suit in satin and PVC was a real statement piece. It’s testament to Inbar’s skills as a designer that she took two ideas widely acknowledged as being quite hideous -- heavy metal and rucksacks -- and turned them into something so sexy, feminine and concise. This was her first season showing on the catwalk, and I can’t wait to see what she gets up to next year. Me aged 15? I don’t think the world is ready for a resurgence of baggy corduroys, Slipknot t-shirts and chains just yet, but maybe we’ll have to wait and see…

Rachael Gibson

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Posted by Catwalk Queen on February 12, 2008 4:25 PM in London Fashion Week
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