BAD ROMANCE

A MOODY PROCLIVITY HAS SET IN – COMPLETE WITH LA VIE EN ROSE OVERTONES AND AN UNEXPECTED NOD TO WEDNESDAY ADDAMS. WE’RE IN LOVE

Cross over to the dark side with moody florals.

SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP of Brexit, ongoing riots in Paris and political uncertainty in Italy (to say nothing of the near-daily disasters coming out of Washington DC), it’s perhaps no surprise that the autumn/winter 19-20 shows veered into darker territory. We’re talking “dark” in the most literal sense. Black has long been a mainstay of the fashion crowd but this season it really was everywhere, setting the mood for the darkly romantic thread that wove its way through the collections.

There was an abundance of winter florals, most memorably at Marc Jacobs, Givenchy and Alexander Mcqueen – the latter of which saw Sarah Burton fashion metres of silk into evening gowns in the shape of roses. But roses weren’t the only evidence of romance on the runway. Lines of love-themed poetry were printed and embroidered on coats, bags and dresses at Valentino. The romance-averse were appeased by Prada’s dark florals, glittering hearts and delicate black lace, which were balanced with tongue-in-cheek Frankenstein motifs, chunky lace-up boots and Wednesday Addams plaits. The soundtrack? A violinist’s take on Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”.

For those looking to harness the trend themselves, a few key pieces are all you need. The aforementioned stompy boot, ideally in floral print (here’s looking at you, Louis Vuitton), a dark, lacy evening dress in a Victorian-era silhouette or mix’n’match hair accessories from a culty label like Valet. Why, it’s almost enough to make you swoon.

“WE’RE TALKING ‘DARK’ in the MOST LITERAL SENSE”