Last season, Roland Mouret spoke of growing demand among his clients for clothes that would dazzle at events and parties; for “ceremony” dressing, in other words. “It’s a category that people are really willing to invest in,” Mouret said at his studio in London’s Clerkenwell. “I feel like we were right to make that move last season.” While demand for eveningwear has fluctuated over the past few years—dying a quick death at the beginning of the pandemic, before booming once lockdowns lifted, and then settling into a more familiar rhythm over the past year or so—Mouret’s vision of eveningwear has continued flying off the shelves at a steady clip throughout.
That’s partly due to the sheer practicality of his clothes: his gowns may be showstopping in their technical accomplishment, but they also feature the kind of functional elements that only a designer who has been dressing women for four decades would know to include. It was a spirit he leaned into with this pre-fall offering, which featured a handful of sportier details subtly woven through his thoughtful fabric choices and silhouettes that offered an artful balance of folds, draping, and cling. Take, for instance, the cross-front halterneck gown with a drop waist and a ruched, swishy skirt cut from cherry red taffeta, or the insouciant tailored separates with barely noticeable padding that created a gentle power shoulder, slashed at the waist and balanced by a loose-fitting crepe pant.
There were flashes of something more party-ready in the eye-catching, iridescent shimmer of rhinestones, but really Mouret’s approach for pre-fall was one rooted in pragmatism, taking his cues from the titans of ’90s American sportswear-inflected high fashion. “It was about that moment when designers really began to understand that the lifestyle of the customer goes in every direction,” he added. Yet while he may be actively catering to his client’s life holistically, he does so without losing his creative spark. Mouret likens the approach to a game of tennis: “You send a ball, they send back a ball—but there’s always a net in the middle to separate our side of creativity,” he said. “That’s the best way to be creative. Playing tennis by yourself against a wall… where’s the fun in that?”
That athletic spirit also came through in a series of standout dresses made from a stretch fabric that featured curved, corset-inspired boning to immensely flattering effect, as well as taffeta dresses featuring clever panels around the waist for ease of movement and to avoid “trapping the woman in too much fabric.” Plus, there were pockets tucked into the folds of every dress. “Always pockets!” Mouret laughed. There’s always been an impressive immediacy to Mouret’s designs, but he’s been embracing it with renewed energy over the past few seasons, after entering a new chapter under the aegis of Han Chong’s growing fashion empire. “I want people to see it and instantly understand it,” Mouret said of his designs. “I feel like that’s the direction we’re going in: make it simple.” Simple on the surface, perhaps, but with a lifetime of technical know-how hidden within the seams.
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