Hamish Morrow, Nice Show (but Place Your Orders Elsewhere)
Written by: Godfrey Deeny
Photos by Gruber-FWD
LONDON, Feb 25, 2002/ FWD/ --- The collection presented Tuesday by the young iconoclast Hamish
Morrow summed up what's most beguiling and frustrating about British fashion.
Morrow's show was cunningly conceived, cleverly staged and contained some novel ideas, but one
couldn't imagine many women actually going out and buying the collection.
This is beside the point, as Morrow apparently still refuses to manufacture any of the clothes
he sends out onto London catwalks.
Though this didn't seem to upset the foreign retailers who attended the show.
"All a bit arch," muttered the fashion director of a major department store, as she exited.
Morrow has a reputation somewhat akin to Imitation of Christ in New York, in that his shows feel
more like performance art rather than traditional catwalk displays.
This season the avant-garde artist Simon Costin - who first achieved fame with self portraits
of his own mutilated self - styled the show, which was staged in the corner of London's biggest
underground parking garage.
Given the descent to the catwalk, it was ironic that practically every look in Morrow's show,
tagged "Safety, Security, Suspension," contained some reference to climbing.
Many pieces were composed of Gore-Tex, and half the collection came wrapped up in climbing ropes
and harnesses, albeit overlaid with crystals from Swarovski (one of Morrow's sponsors).
Hamish can design interesting clothes - herringbone bomber jackets, ruched Prince of Wales
dresses tied in a knot at the back, hip industrial pants and an askew, asymmetrical yellow
dress held up by a single crystal strap.
Yet, in order to buy clothes designed by Morrow, one still has to leave Britain and go to France
to place an order at Louis Feraud, where Hamish created the fall 2002 men's collection.
Better yet one should go to Italy.
Spokespeople for Morrow in London would "neither confirm nor deny" reports that Hamish designs
the Fendi men's collections.
One understands there are probably strict contractual restraints, which is a pity, as the men's
wear at Fendi garnered rave reviews from many critics.
The signature collection he showed in London will not.
Hamish Morrow
|
