Not unlike the universe of Tim Burton, Giles Deacon’s world is so defined that regardless of seasons and collections, people either identify with it or they don’t. And not unlike Burton’s films, Deacon’s aesthetic forever concerns itself with a certain animated darkness, which is contrasted with the real world. Indeed there was something quite Burton-esque and fairytale-like about his Spring/Summer 2014 collection, which showed at his usual venue, the grand Stationers’ Hall.
Dresses featuring Glen Luchford photo prints of the likes of Kate Moss and Amber Valetta opened show like a representation Deacon’s fashion family (which also includes Gwendoline Christie and Abbey Crouch, who sat front row), before the lip prints on purple and bubblegum pink dresses morphed into bat prints, which heralded the darkness that concluded the collection. It was in this segment of the show that Deacon really got a chance to show off as the kind of ball gowns, which have sometimes taken up entire collections of his, swung through the hall, an incredible black batted one with a Stephen Jones bat hat closing the show. From the outside, you sometimes wonder if designers like Deacon wouldn’t mind skipping the daywear and the cocktail dresses and design beautiful fairytale gowns all day long. Imagine what he could do with couture.
