TEATUM JONES – LONDON S/S 2012 PRESENTATION PHOTOS
Designer Teatum Jones presented a collection rich with influences and textures, featuring long silks mixed with shorts and jackets with a cool toned color palette and digitally printed fabrics.
Teatum Jones’ SS12 collection examines the sentimental perfection of 1950’s American suburbia and explores the darker side of life behind the sugary pastel coloured walls. A story of a vibrant young couple swept along by a well packaged dream of perfection and what happens when that artificial dream expires and leaves you with nothing but your own surreal and frantic desire to escape. A secret desire hidden well beneath a cloak of self deception, repeatedly used as an anesthetic towards the reality of soured dreams and painful truths.
Braille-like fabrics in flesh tones of blush pink and lilac taupe, present an ultra luxurious and textured depth to the collection. Suburban morning sunshine inspires the chalky pastel pinks, hazy lemon yellows and the powdery sky blues in a wash of elegant fluid silks in crepe de chine and sheer brocade organza. The introduction of buttery soft leather sees tailored pieces in cloudy lilac taupe and embossed snake skins in deep blues and morning sky tones.
Teatum Jones continues the use of narrative print in a portrayal of the female’s desire to escape through a series of surreal collages and The April Polkadot, which is never quite what it seems. The Escapist Placement Print seamlessly matches collaged bridges strewn across landscapes that deceptively lead to nowhere and shimmering watery reflections that reflect objects not really there.
Embracing the tensions between the masculine and feminine, Teatum and Jones create a series of hybrid tailored dresses and skirts exploiting the symbolism of the patriarchal suit jacket and the femininity of fluid silk dresses. Epic capped shoulder dresses engineered to fill with air, illustrate the vast expanse of her surreal and escapist landscape. Tailoring manipulates traditional menswear details throwing lapels, pockets and vents into surreal proportions of playful lengths and placement. Seemingly relaxed draped dresses mounted on simple t-shirt necklines deceptively reveal an elegant and flawlessly fitted back with belted waistlines that disappear into the safety of the side seams, further defining the duo’s skill at cutting a balance between structure and fluidity.
Challenging conventional truths and following gut-instinct reveals a courageous, strong-willed and aspirational woman. The Teatum Jones woman is effortlessly chic and boldly nonchalant, instinctively drawn to the label, which allows her to achieve a desirable harmony between masculine and feminine.
Fashion week coverage by Indira Cesarine for XXXX Magazine
