Mary Katranzou Gives Full Fantasy for Fall Winter 2019

Click through backstage images of the designer’s runway prep for her fantastical FW19 show.

On the cusp of spring, later sunsets are deceivingly masked by remnants of either winter snow or the preface to April showers. And yet fashion designer Mary Katrantzou able-handedly preempted confused weather reports in her F/W ‘19 showing in London – the birthplace of rain wear: from fluffy long overcoats to tailored blazers, the designer looked to natural elements for her color palette.

Ranging from amber-sun hues to earthy coppers, the browning of fallen oxidized apples, and the majestic purple of nutcrackers marching out onto mantles; the collection was a display of kaleidoscopic proportions. Yet, Katrantzou’s penchant for an elemental color palette does not necessarily suggest a charged statement about climate change. According to Katrantzou, the collection was “inspired by Ionian philosophy,” as defined by Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, Empedocles. That is to say, the designs were a color wheel of celestial bodies and elements earth, wind, fire and water suggest a transcendental theory on human creation.

And while the Greek designer’s intellectual conceptualization initiated the editorial design process, the modernity and marketability side was not sidelined. In fact, she spearheaded a new trend: a return to times past – #ThrowbackThursday and #FlashbackFriday – a millennial phenomenon. Her play on popular music band, Earth, Wind, and Fire and 90s classic clip-on hair strands in a pastel-hued rainbow of colors that seem to be the perfect addition to those Easter baskets lining your local markets post- Valentines Day.

The silhouettes were varied and ran the spectrum from shaggy sack-like organza jackets to chic blazer-collared duster coats without closures, tethered around the waist with a belt and layered underneath another cape-like overcoat that mythical sat atop the model’s shoulders. The hem of it was lined in the same textured tuft of its shapeless counterpart.

Models sported both solid primary colors and an ombré effect in more tonal hues that according to Katrantzou, mimicked the transition from dawn to dusk. Jacquard intarsia textiles mimicked The Northern Lights. And while the profundity of Katrantzou’s aesthetic appears to academic creationism, the applicability was manifested in its trendy wear-ability, its colors and fabrics made to guard against the elements – no pun intended. The Swarovski crystals woven in the knits took her play on the figurative dawn to dusk into the literal with the capability of going from day to night.

The looks were paired with an equally colorful cosmic array of Jimmy Choo pointy-toed footwear. And the models ranged from up-and-comer, Sara Grace Wallerstedt, to Natalia Vodianova who opened the show in bright yellow ostrich-feathered organza ruffles reminiscent to a headless Big Bird suit. While Katrantzou’s A/W ‘19 showing could get lost in space with all its different elements, Katrantzou managed to create a cohesive collection that translates her ideas into reality. She managed to pay homage to her Greek heritage and adapted British home, known for its weatherproof garments, with ease.

Discover More