Degree Show Report 2: Chelsea College of Arts (Textile Design)

Next stop on the grand art school grad show tour was Chelsea College of Arts, where four floors of textile-based goodness awaited... With its incredible diversity of exhibits (from lampshades through to sensory aids for the visually impaired), and mini installations accompanying each student's collection, this was far more than "just" a fashion show, although it was packed to the rafters with clothes whose designers any stylist worth their salt would be earmarking...

Barring a few notable exceptions (Vanessa-Lee Hamlett's punk-inspired streetwear collection being one of my personal favourites), a thread of playful references to femininity ran through the Chelsea collections as a whole, nodding to both past and future in a whirl of translucent fabrics, trippy prints, candy colours and ostentatious ornamentation. I L.O.V.E. Oh, and we were greeted at the college's entrance by a live mermaid.



























































































One more stop to go...

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