Simply Abu Dhabi XX

1 6 1 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I M cQ women’s autumn- winter 2015/2016 collection depicts the chaos of metropolitan life today through collaged design messages. The influences behind the collection include historic, cultural and technical – all seen through the lens of contemporary youth culture. Since Sarah Burton took the helm the fashion house has benefited from a gentler hand and this collection boasts a more feminine look. Hard edges were replaced by a distinctively frayed look, as though the clothes had lived a life. Lace fishtail gowns that buttoned all the way up to Victorian collars, frayed coats and jackets, poetic knits and laddered lace all added to the dark romance. Tailoring, as ever, remains key. Sliced lacquered rose jacquard coats and jackets, pleated leather skirts and dresses, bonded leather rose cloqué tailoring, engineered lace cutout knitted dresses with laddered pleated ruffles, distressed and shredded silk cape coats, petal printed organza dresses with frayed edges and 3D leather rosette dresses created a multi-layered identity at McQ women for autumn-winter 15. Leather runs throughout the collection: not simply in renditions of staples such as the biker and bomber jacket, but in unfussy separates such as bone white culottes and shell tops with subtle deconstructed frills adding definition to the waist. The classic leather biker is softened in weathered indigo leather with a mottled surface texture that blends comfort with a sense of luxury. Alternatively, a more formal option comes in the guise of a grey felted greatcoat with incorporated satin panels in soft pink and blue, combining Brutalist design principles with a gentle fluidity. Knitwear of every dimension is integral to the overall aesthetic of the season. Styles vary between a subversion of the classic cricket sweater, emboldened through the appearance of foil appliques or semi- sheer mohair panels, to bright ribbed polo necks in bright shades of turmeric yellow and paprika orange. Each knitted piece boasts clever technical specifications: a salt and pepper marl turtleneck boasts an asymmetric orange ribbed panel, while complex geometric jacquards in bone white and pure black conjure up images of ancient tile designs.