Jenny Packham; What’s Going On?

September 12, 2014

Jenny Packham’s show made a beautifully embellished, stylish change from the sportswear-focused brands who dominate the catwalks at New York Fashion Week. She’s known for her ability to create show-stopping red carpet looks, and I have no doubt that some of these gowns illuminated by paparazzi flashbulbs in the very near future; after all, every single piece of this collection feels like an award winner in its own right.

“Its blatantly Marilyn Monroe,” Packham stated, in reference to her Spring creations. “She’s been there all my life, but I’ve discovered her again.” Indeed, the designer certainly took the process of researching her latest muse very seriously, not only studying photos of the icon, but visiting her bungalow in Beverly Hills, and travelling to Jersey to have a look at a private collection of Monroe’s dresses. “She’s still so relevant,” Packham explained. “What she wears doesn’t date.”

Packham’s clothes certainly have that glamorous, timeless appeal; the sleek silhouettes, occasionally belted at the waist but often left to gracefully skim the curves of the body, was classically feminine. The embellishments, meanwhile, feelt contemporary, but stay away from being outrageously on trend; these were not clothes which incorporated the latest, transient fad in accessorising, only to be outdated within the week.

Column dresses were carefully beaded with palm tree leaves to evoke the famous wallpaper of the Beverly Hills Hotel. Marilyn’s influence also shone in that golden lame dress, which is really just flawless.