If Molly Goddard didn’t exist, somebody would have had to invent her. The perfect antidote to our current leggings and puffer jacket led malaise, Goddard offered London Fashion Week a tantalising glimpse of what a post lockdown world could look like courtesy of her AW21 collection.
With IRL fashion shows off the menu right now, the collection debuted via a film shot at the designer’s Bethnal Green studio.
All the Goddard signature elements were present and correct: the big frothy dresses, the punk sensibility and the bright & optimistic colours. It all seemed so much more comforting now, however – like unexpectedly bumping into an old friend.
With the nation’s libraries, cinemas and museums currently out of bounds, Goddard was forced to seek inspiration closer to home for this collection, citing books by Tina Barney, David Douglas Duncan and Terence Conran as key influences.
Barney’s collection of images was a particular source of inspiration. “I love looking at people (especially families) of all generations and how they wear clothes,” Goddard said of the work. “The contrast between characters and styles. A glamorous smoking grandmother, a sulking teenage son, an old man in tweeds and a young girl proudly ready for a night out.”
The designer’s boundless optimism appeared to be another key influence on the new collection. That optimism shone out of literally everything the designer put on the Bethnal Green catwalk, from the stunning tulle dresses to the tartan clad menswear offerings.
“I think we need to be optimistic at the moment,” said Goddard of her approach to making clothes during the pandemic.
“Some of these dresses were based on classic 70s and 80s prom dresses, but we made the bows really spiky, and the cut less about the gathering of taffeta, so it was about taking things in slightly different directions, elevating things and making them a bit more optimistic” the designer added.
Since many of the garments in the new collection will be worn in the colder winter months, Goddard has added a series of clothes that will withstand the elements. Tweed mini skirt suits, colourful Fair Isle knits and long and flowing scarves all come in the now trademark effervescent colours.
Menswear also made a return, with Goddard adding a range of tartan inspired trousers and kilts, alongside the Fair Isle sweaters and tailored jackets.
The result was a collection whose boundless optimism and joy spilled out of the individual pieces. Goddard’s quirky yet stylish aesthetic has never been quite as necessary as it is now.
More information about Molly Goddard can be found here.
For information on London fashion events and trends, please click here.
