Over the weekend Christopher Kane premiered his flower-inspired Spring 2014 collection during London Fashion Week. Putting a scientific twist on one of the most common spring trends, his designs were nothing if not innovative, creating a whole new way to wear floral. Dresses and sweatshirts were emblazoned with the word FLOWER, while several pieces were imprinted with full botanical diagrams. A few tamer dresses used flowers in a more subdued way, with petal shaped cutouts trimmed in bright metallics.
Designed in a color palette of pastels and nudes, the collection actually does wonders with pale hues. Watercolor dresses in an iridescent shimmer are visually stunning, even if they look very uncomfortable. Personally, I could withstand a little discomfort for metallic pastels.
The petal inspired dresses, while much more subtle in their design, seem a little implausible, with cutouts in areas that really should be covered unless you want to incur a public nudity fine. The lavender petal dresses give a little more life to the collection with their contrasting hues of purple and cerulean metallic trim, but for the most part these petal pieces should not be hanging in anyone’s closet.
Sheer slip dresses in minty green and white are a throwback to the ‘90s (along with a few other shapes from this collection) but are given a new, albeit funky twist, with straps and trimmings that are exactly like those clip cords your dentist attaches your bib with. And while the dresses look pretty, being reminded of my last checkup is really the last thing I want.
The botanical dresses are easily the most interesting pieces in this collection, even if they are ridiculously eccentric. While I can’t imagine ever wanting to clash science and fashion together (unless perhaps you’re a fantastically dressed physics teacher), you have to admit it’s sort of a fun idea. Besides, now you can locate the stigma and anther of a flower. Who knew floral dresses could be so educational?