LFW SS13: Jean-Pierre Braganza

For the last few seasons I’ve been in two minds about Jean-Pierre Braganza’s collections. While the cuts, patterns and tailoring and colours have almost always been spot-on, something about his silhouette means that it only looks good on stick-thin models (and even then sometimes doesn’t work). Now obvs runway fashion is all about what looks good on models, but the intense bodycon aesthetic that JPB has shown never quite clicked for me in seasons gone by. I’m pleased to report that his SS13 collection was a masterstroke: it riffed on the fragmented tailoring, bold patterns and bold colour combinations that he showed previously in a more grown-up, flattering silhouette. Tie-dye geometric patterns served not to emphasise narrow points on the body, but to highlight the cut of the garment; drapery was used as a flattering effect on jackets and dresses, rather than to draw your focus to a pancake-flat stomach; bright but restrained colour palettes and unusual cut-in hemlines gave a sense of fun and whimsy to a collection which, above all, demonstrated a growing confidence in the London designer, both in himself and in his work. Should be really interesting to see where Braganza takes this confidence in seasons to come.

Words – Seb Law

Photos – Kaye Ford