From the shrieking violins to the piercing yellow and the models’ razor-sharp eyeliner and headpieces, there was an almost bombastic intensity to Roksanda Ilinčić’s Spring/Summer 2014 show. Colossal neon orange and green sculptures by Gary Card were scattered around the resonant skyscraper penthouse venue on a panoramic window backdrop of the early morning London skyline. Lines were drawn as blocks of black and citrusy neon colours were forged in full skirts, some deconstructed or layered asymmetrically with kilt elements and strands of fabric, which, when applied to a top, could have been new-era Dior.
For all its brutality it looked pretty neat, and the later introduction of large black stripes and mosaic prints would have almost been unnecessary if it weren’t for the fact that the same exits also introduced Ilinčić’s strict take on the season’s floral obsession in the shape of glistening flower ornaments on dresses and a jacket. Sticking to the fierce character of the collection, they looked sharp and almost pointed like chorals, which was a fresh interpretation and a welcomed break from the never-ending softness and delicateness of every other flower motif that’s befallen the London shows.