Hell Club

Underage LFW SS20

Designer Ying Shen should be asked to design for the remake of “Eyes Wide Shut” if there is to be one. Her SS20 collection is an eclectic take on the power of the cult and it was a very enticing invitation to be a part of hers, if even just for an hour of her presentation. The graduate from Central Saint Martins has a background in graphic design and textile design. It was evident in her attention to the invitations as well as the show space itself that this was going to be a very visually impactful show.

With a que down the entire stretch of Grape Street I was very happy to have gotten there early. This much anticipated collection was surely to exceeded expectations. As I entered the space, it felt very exclusive. The traditional notions of cults and clubs being dark and dingy was immediately thrown out the window. This cult was brimming with electricity and fire. The white walls was a nice clean backdrop to the white and silver artwork of bodies and flames. Hell has never looked more chic. No detail was missed, even the cocktail glasses were white.

The first figure I came across was in a jacket and skirt painted with flames and bodies, inferno it seems. The next figure was in a sheer brick and beige ensemble that was truly divine with a cutout top and sheer tailored trousers. Then I came across what I can only described as a celestial nymph, a beam of light in this sort of “cool hell”. She was dressed in a dusty rose chiffon with silvery blue satin top and a skirt that beautifully blended nude, khaki, silver grey and neon yellow. The journey continues with figures in brick red and black in a mix of barely there bralettes with sheer trousers and a towering male figure in the most beautiful brick jacket and chiffon floor length skirt. A hooded figure awaits at the gate next to the queen of the underworld, this has got to be Proserpina herself. A bewitching red headed figure in a sheer red gown that drapes just so.

The entire presentation was like walking into a cult story. It transported an entire audience into the world of Underage. I cannot wait to see where we’re going next season.