Last season’s Merit Award Winner Xiao Li showed a collection of signatures for SS15 - playful silhouettes, pastel shades and an athletic aesthetic came together for a softly sporty look toughened with mesh and laser-cut leather stitch detail.
Bright coral punctuated a palette of fresh white, baby blue, peach, lemon and dove grey, where gently structured tops, jackets and jumpers showed exaggerated rounded shoulders and endlessly smooth lines. Angular this collection was not, although wrists were pulled together with colour co-ordinating ties. Cropped backs matched with slightly longer hemlines in shorts and skirts to make for looks that could be worn straight from the catwalk.
Clean, minimal mesh and neoprene were artfully adorned with laser-cut leather peter pan collars, apron style layers and extended epaulettes. Laser-cut belts were loosely folded around trench and cocoon coats, the stamped leather strips ending in bulbous discs. Leather was also used to create circular bags engraved with Li’s logo and elegant cut-out patterns; a statement replicated on a smaller scale in accent pockets.
Skirts were either presented in leather, mesh overlay or tennis style knits, the gentle pleats adding movement to the strong silhouettes of the collection. Gently folded collars and jackets also softened the shapes of Xiao Li’s SS15 looks, a continuation of Li’s experimentation with knitwear and use of high technology fabrics. The white mesh trench coat finished with baby blue shoulders and sleeves was a standout piece.
This new sportswear style for both men and women is light, bright and refreshingly modern.
By Isabella Silvers, Contributor, (@izzymks).
Photographs by Hugo Nogueira