COLLECTION| Vita Gottlieb AW14

Vita Gottlieb’s AW14 collection and first solo showcase did not fail to inspire this morning at Fashion Scout London. The designer’s debut collection at our Freemasons’ Hall, ‘Caged’ reinterprets the skin as both a covering and a cage. Simultaneously cocooning and empowering the body, zips and contrasting fabrics combined to create an unspoken language between fabric and skin. Stasis and transience coalesced in the juxtaposition of flowing satin and diaphanous silk georgettes which oxymoronically communicated the desire for flight through encasing silhouettes. Origami-esque structures were redolent of the skeletal body whilst airy layers were expressive of freedom.

A Central Saint Martins graduate, Gottlieb is a History of Art graduate and set up her label in 2012. Drawing inspiration from a former career in film, Gottlieb cites the image of Grace Jones walking through a Maharaja’s palace as the muse behind her designs. Expressive of the natural world, scales and soft fish-tail tailoring pertained wilderness whilst hazy golden satin evoked the sun setting in an Indian landscape.  

By Lydia Smyth (@LydiaRoseSmyth)
Images by Sim D (SimD_8)