Joanne Hynes Spring Summer 2012

Photography by Lucas Seidenfaden

In ‘Plastiscope’, Joanne Hynes blended a hyper-real Sixties derived colour palette with sci-fi design details, throwing in a splash of decadent disco glamour for good measure. These eclectic reference points were anchored by oversized embellished neck-plates secured with buckle fastenings, robot like charms and colourful Paul Klee style appliques. That might sound chaotic, but it wasn’t, somehow Hynes blended all the elements with a practiced eye that belies her relative youth. There was leather and a lot of it, but this wasn’t S&M – the metallic gold, silver, burnt orange and petrol blue tones imbued the pieces with a carefully considered mix-and-match appeal that radiated an unashamed feel good factor.  

The Sixties influence was also in evidence in the silhouettes, which were dominated by oversized swinging trapeze shapes and short or cropped wide sleeves. Square-cut jackets came with press-stud fastenings and contrast raglan sleeves and were styled over demure pencil skirts and contrasting buttoned to the neck blouses that were heavy with bibbed sequin embellishment. Those pailettes reappeared in panels on dresses and across fitted skirts, throwing a new textural story into the mix. Overloaded textures were an underlying collection theme, the designer unafraid to contrast matte with patent, bugle bead embellishment with super-shiny latex – a madcap mix that felt just right.

The show notes cited a diverse range of muses, from Hitchcock heroines to Edie Sedgwick. Hyne’s strength lay in her ability to distil the very best of these celebrated characters - by turns elegant, witty, with a dash of panache and a thoroughly modern boheme - and translate their qualities into a highly covetable and wearable collection. 

Text: Victoria Loomes