Review of Edward Crutchley Fall 2023 Fashion Show
Cartoons and Kink, as Edward Crutchley Takes the Season by the Horns
By Angela Baidoo
Departing from the theatrical and stripping back to a clean palette of industrial tones, Edward Crutchley’s autumn winter 2023 collection was a slick exercise in showing off the designers ability to switch focus.
By no means a newcomer, Crutchley launched his label during the 2015 iteration of what was then known as London: Collections Men, but it was his spring summer 2022 collection which fed into the conversations and codebreaking around gender fluidity – as well as touching on the influence of queer culture on fashion – which set the designer apart as one-to-watch.
His rethinking of tradition and craftsmanship has meant that with each season his take on Greek mythology, goth, or the 1700s is tackled in a non-conformist way.
His keen eye for ornate and highly decorative fabrics, as well as his rethinking of tradition and craftsmanship has meant that with each season his take on Greek mythology, goth, or the 1700s is tackled in a non-conformist way, so much so that his collections require a second or third look to fully decipher all the references he is trying to convey in his work.
Crutchley’s collection this season withdrew from the distraction of colour and instead opted for a monochromatic palette of black, white, and grey to keep a spotlight on the clothes. His way of carving out a silhouette – whether exaggerated volumes or barely-there bodycon – made this seasons collection of tailoring, sweats, and knitwear instantly wearable, and all the more commercially viable than perhaps seasons past. The uniformity of the outsize forms created cohesion, whether wide leg pants were in patchwork Prince of Wales check or organic cotton jersey, or statement sleeves featured on a taffeta two-piece or drop-shoulder blazer.
The designers previous forays into knitwear have often involved melding it to the male, female, or non-binary body that wore it, but for autumn winter 2023 textured angora midi dresses and cropped skirt sets are sure to be earmarked by retail buyers as sure-fire best sellers.
Despite the overt desirability of the collection, the designer couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to add a little kink into the mix, and as was spotted in New York, horns made a play for the subversive motif of the season, with Crutchley giving us the option of a double-horned codpiece bra or thong, which was produced in collaboration with GAHM, a made to measure leather ware brand founded by multidisciplinary artist and designer Avleen Kaur.
Despite the overt desirability of the collection, the designer couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to add a little kink into the mix, and as was spotted in New York, horns made a play for the subversive motif of the season.
Further adding to the designers riff on references, six animated characters appeared across woven sheaths, jacquard knitted dresses, and as patches on bomber jackets. Inspired by the drawings that appeared in illustrator Richard Breton’s The Drolatic Dreams of Pantagruel, the designer has managed to reimagine the cartoonish figures for modern times.