The V&A acquisition of our DRS 143 STAR PLEAT DRESS and TOP 122 SILK CAMI from our WW SS16 collection, is now on display. This look can now be seen in person at the brand new V&A East Storehouse based in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London.

The wide strap star, criss-crosses across the top of the body, which then suspends and falls into bunches of pleated linen. Each element of the garment is engineered to carefully interweave with one another to form an articulated dress.

The piece visually encases the wearer with the striking criss-crossing star across the torso. This static constraint across the top of the body gives way to a frenetic but controlled mass of moving pleats which form the dynamic lower skirt part of the dress.

Creating the design in relation to 360 degrees of the human body was important as the look was displayed at Fashion Week infront of a large corner mirror so that the back could be visible to the audience. This was a reflection of the new dominance of social media use at the time and the flatness or two dimensions, with which it gave to fashion experiences. The use of the design wrapping all the way around body and being considered from all angles and then displaying this with the mirror, hoped to animate the body once again into a three dimensional experience.

After its debut at London Fashion Week, the piece was shown again as part of the V&A fashion in motion exhibition. For this we crafted marionette versions of each piece to sit alongside their human counterparts.