Karen Walker
S/S 2011
North
Karen Walker’s Fall 2011 collection lives in a Northern town. It takes its inspiration from the Northern Soul Dance Scene – especially looking at Northern England’s most famous disco, the Wigan Casino, at its peak in the mid to late 70s and Dexys Midnight Runners’ album Searching for the Young Soul Rebels.
This inspiration continues Karen’s ongoing fascination with outsiders and subcultures.
The uniform of the Wigan Casino had Northern working class staples (such as docker’s coats) at its heart, but added to that items chosen for their suitability for very physical, all-night dancing (most importantly, fitted-racer back sports singlets) as well as Saturday-night-best pieces.
Combined, they created a uniform that represented the Saturday-night escape from the drudgery of working class 9-5. This combining of contrasts and mixing of high and low – Northern workwear, performance dance clothes and “best” clothes – is at the heart of the collection.
Karen Walker talks this aesthetic and makes it her own, showing a collection based around the black docker’s coat, sports singlet, ankle length skirt and commemorative patch.