Had Erdem been leafing through the pages of Joseph Conrad’s A Heart of Darkness? The show set was a huge, imposing forest and underneath the verdant vines Erdem proved that when it comes to creating clothes that women long to wear, he’s anything but green.
Erdem has been riffing on the sweet spot between beauty and darkness for a few seasons now and for spring / summer 15 he found the balance. Floor length gowns were the form here, tiered, sheer, richly embroidered with botanics, with just a smattering of separates. A tweed sleeveless top was best, styled in a contemporary way with a delicate bag shaped like a book slung across the body. The amount of embroidery was vast and any hint of OTT pomp was diluted with boyish flat shoes. The leaf and branch stitch work sat against windows of period conservatories stitched on to dresses, that and the high Victorian collars brought a classic, historic appeal to a collection that felt very right for now.
Laura Weir