Costelloe’s 71 but he keeps youth appeal
PAUL COSTELLOE kicked off the first Irish show on the London Fashion Week calendar yesterday at his usual haunt, The Meridien in Piccadilly.
Una Healy, Glenda Gilson and Brendan Courtney sat front of the designer’s SS17 collection, which was inspired by a blend of Irish linen he fell in love with while visiting an old fabric company in Dungannon where he worked with in the Nineties.
The show opened with a series of soft, creamy linen looks in Costelloe’s signature Sixties silhouette. Some knee-length coats came with bell, peplum sleeves and he worked with tradition on baby-doll dresses with romantic pleats and big, oversized pockets that were cleverly hidden beneath the linen. ‘I always design my dresses with pockets. There a lot more versatile that way,’ he said backstage.
‘I love how wearable they are this season. The linen we used reminds me of soft, fluffy clouds.’
The rest of the collection catered to his younger, saucier, Made In Chelsea audience. He teamed baggy cargo linen pants with bodice-style crop tops and transparent PVC; strapless linen minidresses that flowed into faux leather on the hem; as well as tight button-up shirt dresses, some with low, revealing V-shape necklines that were cinched with chunky belts. Veering away from linen, the designer closed the show with romantic organza looks, some accessorised with leather bumbags and a baby blue floor-length organza dress that he pointed out as one of his favourites.
After the show, Costelloe could be found mingling with his family and friends, who drank champagne and took selfies with models.
His notes cited a need to ‘keep moving and keep creating’ in order to stay on top, and judging by Costelloe’s front row littered with stylish celebrities, he certainly seems to be proving his success at keeping his brand young and fresh. ‘I don’t want people to think a 71-year-old fart is designing their clothes,’ he said. ‘I have to keep them alive and living.’
Expecting her third baby, Irish London-based designer Zoe Jordan took a break from her usual installation at the BFC showspace at Brewer Street car park in Soho and unveiled SS17 at the Rossetti Studios on Flood street.
Among the collection this season are her cult cut-out off-the-shoulder sweaters, drawstring cargo pants and chunky bomber jackets that come in soft ivory and blush pink palettes. New additions include linen trousers with quirky slits, fitted boyfriend blazers and hand-painted silk dresses. ‘It’s the most honest and straight talking in terms of design and approach,’ Jordan said.
‘I want my collections to be clean, refined and increasingly versatile, especially as my life gets busier and it’s been an approach that’s paid off. This has been the strongest collection with key retail partners to date.’
Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson unveiled his SS17 at an old army barracks, Yeomanry House in Bloomsbury, while Simone Rocha closed the Irish shows at Southwark Cathedral.
‘I always design my dresses with pockets’