I'm worrying about a few things going on in my life today, so as a bit of escapism I'm calling on one of my favourite designers - Christopher Kane. Christopher Kane's A/W11 collection reverberated around the fashion industry for unearthing childhood nostalgia. The collection sought inspiration from an amalgamation of homeware and clothes from the 80s and 90s once lovingly adored and worshipped and since labelled 'tacky' and 'junk,' Kane was able to construct a collection that was entirely circular - once again making desirable items we'd lusted after in our pre-teen years and since subjected to the attic or carboot sales. Kane is singlehandedly responsible for granting rebirth to lava lamps, beaded doorway covers, discoballs, crocheted table mats, macrame, inflatable backpacks and jelly pencil cases everywhere. Doing for abandoned homeware and tacky clothes what Toy Story did for discarded toys.
When I first saw the collection I was instantly reminded of a jar I'd had as a child that I'd avidly filled with shaped bath oils (see above, ha!). Don't ask me why I collected them, I was just discussing it with my Mum and we were both clueless, but I did. I had all these differently shaped and coloured bath oils, that I'd collected from all over the world and put in this one jar and eventually they all sort of amalgamated together and took on a shape bearing perfect resemblance to a Christopher Kane clutch. I was pretty devastated at the time, now I kind of regret throwing those bath oils out. Not that I could carry them around as a clutch obviously. But I just want them back. I'm totally going to order some all over again as I just got totally overexcited googling them.
I think Kane's success as a designer lies in his intrinsic weaving of both the past and future together. Kane's designs are both fashion forward and nostalgic simultaneously. They are brave, daring, whimsical and oh so easy to lust after because in something Kane's new designs we're reminded of something familiar.
