The Stars Come Out for Henry Holland

Queueing for the Henry Holland show was perhaps more exciting than the show itself (no offence Henry). The arrival of Alexa Chung left a joyous haze hanging over me which somewhat affected my concentration on the catwalk itself. Alexa was closely followed by Susie Lau of Style Bubble walking past in a transparent backed jacket and her signature high bun; a sighting which excited me even more than The Chung. Needless to say my happiness at this point was immeasurable.

So, after Pixie Geldof and Nick Grimshaw joined Alexa inside (making the east London fash gang complete) we were allowed to enter Goldmsiths Hall; a beautiful building with sweeping staircases and thick carpet that made me want to lie on the floor and stare at the intricate ceiling. But there was no time for such matters; Hilary Alexander (who until recently was the fashion director at The Daily Telegraph and a legendary sartorial inspiration) was frolicking about on the red carpet taking photos on her phone, stumbling slightly to copious laughter as the protective plastic sheet was pulled out from under her.

So, to the clothes. I have to admit I’m not usually a big fan of Henry Holland’s stuff although I do count his alphabet tights as my favourite hosiery item of all time. I always enjoy the playfulness of his collections though so I was looking forward to seeing what he’d been up to.

The show started quickly with the models practically jogging along the catwalk and we were treated to a plethora of colourful zigzags which were Missoni-esque but wilder and brighter (perhaps Missoni’s younger, funner sister). Still though, fairly demure for Holland. Even the shapes were simple and clean with A-line shifts, skater dresses, cap sleeves and fitted midi dresses with flared skirts.

There was an abundance of giant houndstooth check which was initially covering dresses and coats but then morphed more subtly into smaller sequinned patches on sleek evening pieces. One of my favourites was a short pink dress with long sleeves and a full skirt in pink and red houndstooth and a ruffled neckline. Worn with minimal make up and a simple plait the look was clean and sweet. There was a shaggy hair coat in red and black that just screamed Sixties throwback and another more wearable take on the wig effect with a simple black felt coat with red hair sleeves. Red leather (two words I usually prefer not to put together) was loud and clear in the form of a tight-fitting midi-length halter dress with matching baker boy cap; more than a little Austin Powers.

The most notable thing about the show was the definite move away from shout out loud party wear to retro inspired dresses that were really rather ladylike – I even spied a couple of pairs of elbow length gloves. But is Holland’s design talent strong enough to sustain a more serious aesthetic? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Photo by Daniel Martinelli