Emilia Wickstead was ecstatic — and incredulous — talking backstage about her fall muse: the French model and actress Fano Messan, who in the Roaring 1920s had to pretend to be a man in order to become an apprentice sculptor.
That explained the languid, Armani-esque tailoring in a variety of menswear checks, the rugged denim shirts, the smock-like leather jacket with the middy collar and the bookish allure of some of the models.
During her research, Wickstead became enchanted with Messan’s story and her androgynous style, which was cemented when she portrayed a hermaphrodite in Luis Buñuel’s first film.
“I wanted to show her uniform, but I also wanted her to feel liberated,” the designer said backstage. “She wasn’t allowed to be herself, and I want her to be recognized today.”
To be sure, Wickstead gave her fantasy version of Messan plenty of options, from the retro allure of the tailored coats and blousons in nubby tweeds to carwash shirts and neat leather suits where snug little jackets met lean pencil skirts.
This was a no-frills show in Wickstead’s Sloane Street boutique, which attracted a sizable crowd peering in through the windows on a rare sunny Sunday afternoon in London.
The drab colors and bulky fits of some of the clothes ultimately yielded to more dramatic, precisely cut gowns in showy fabrics like silver lame and lavender lace. They had a sculptural quality.
