Adrian Hailwood at FW '09 - review

Designer Adrian Hailwood is known for his beautiful dresses, his gorgeous prints and his quirky T shirts and it is obvious from all that he does that he really knows how to dress the female form. He designs clothing that women fall in love with, and last night he did it again. There’s the odd bit of menswear thrown in too, which Hailwood does equally well but less of. You could hear sighs of appreciation from the crowd as his clothing sashayed its way down the catwalk. 

First down the runway – a beautifully pleated ‘wave’ dress in cobalt and black, the top of which was simple and strong, while the skirt was pleated and draped with pocket detail. Amethyst satin pants were teamed with a cool sweater of teal blue with flouro pink stripes, and the sweater was seen again in periwinkle blue with black stripes, while the pants were later teamed with a metallic pink pleather bolero.  Hailwood used pretty floral prints in black and cream, black, rust and gold and these were worked into shift dresses with ruffled details for women and tailored shirts for men. Gorgeous T dresses in simple knit or silk jersey were featured and a standout was a couple of divine cream silk tunics – one with a stunning deco print, the other a willow plate print.    

Hailwood’s stovie skinny jeans were a sure display of masterful tailoring with their interesting cuts and angles and these came down the runway in powder blue denim, teamed with a brilliantly tailored jacket in the same. A playful but incredibly wearable plaid dress in caramel and black silk velvet was teamed with a highly tailored jacket with interesting lapel detail and tied at the back. To finish, Hailwood sent out a beautifully body conscious, floor length fishtail gown in the palest silver silk satin with his willow pattern detailed on it. It was simply stunning. 

At every fashion week there are always shows that make you feel like you are really lucky to be there, and so glad that you got the chance to see that particular collection. These shows lift your spirits and last night that’s how I felt about the Hailwood show.

View the runway pics here.

- Jackie O’Fee

Photography c/- Hilary Johnston