Psychological Aging
Roberts Wood LFW SS20
The sanctuary of the Roberts Woods presentation on The Mall felt dramatic and alluring. There were 5 separate stages with model performers, each group exploring ideas of self-image, girlhood, womanhood and identity. This collection examines the idea of how clothing is approached as psychological and emotional armor and how clothing can be used as a tool in the assertion of our own intentions. Katie Roberts-Wood created a collection to empower the wearer by enhancing and concentrating on the notion of self-worth. How do we create power through the assertion of control through the donning of the visual armor of garments? Roberts-Wood asks herself as designer that embraces the new and old technologies, what does she have to do to preserve emotional value of making things? What in a designer’s morals determines the soul of a made object?
The first stage I encountered featured 3 looks. Each woman in a digitally printed garment made in traditional techniques. The techno prints in neon colors were made into dresses with jellyfish like ruffles and a piece that most resembled a late 17th century silhouette. The second stage featured two ruffle gowned women in constant graceful movement, playing off each other’s intentions. At one point, one of these women gets undressed and the other woman helps her get undressed and redressed in an equally marvelously ruffled gown. The third stage featured two women, one older and one younger in elaborately tattered gowns. Each piece of “scrap” fabric was meticulously placed. The fourth stage was inviting as it looked like 3 sirens waiting. These 3 wore sheer pastel gowns over printed slips. The way the sheer gowns muted the loud prints made me want to explore those prints underneath more. The final stage was a solo act, an imposing yet gentle looking figure in a dramatic black dress with a large train. The elegant slow movements of this performer was quite beautiful to engage with.
Roberts-Wood is an innovative designer who designs sculptural pieces that can easily be translated into wearable pret a porter. She has all the elements of her ideas thoroughly crafted and each element can move towards a stage or a rack. This sort of translation is not always easy without loosing the essence of the design itself. I truly appreciated the immense amount of thought that was behind this SS20 collection and I hope that many others truly see it too for what is really is, a new language in fashion.
