John Singer Sargent’s celebrated 1889 Portrait of Madame X featured as the centerpiece of Ian Griffiths’s pre-fall moodboard; he said he was captivated by its fashionable appeal at an exhibition of the Gilded Age master at London’s Tate Britain. Depicted in a black velvet gown with a revealing (for the era) heart-shaped neckline, the alabaster-skinned French socialite—a great beauty of apparently questionable repute—embodied the epitome of Edwardian elegance. Griffiths envisioned her indulging a life of luxury, moving between the velvety ambiance of her boudoir and leisurely promenades in the leafy shadows of gazebos.
As the collection will land in stores in May, Griffiths wanted it to “feel fresh and light.” Silhouettes were neat, enhanced by a restrained palette of ivory and emerald green, offset by rich black tones. Bows appeared throughout as graceful refrain, adorning the front of a cropped jacket, accenting the shoulder of a sleek one-shoulder jumpsuit, or rendered as a print on a tailored minidress and a crisp, oversized shirt. They also added an exuberant touch at the neckline of a short trapeze dress crafted from emerald taffeta.
Peplums (“sharp as a swallow’s tail,” as per Griffiths’s definition) hinted at a touch of Edwardiana, featured on a cinched white poplin shirt and at the back of a black trench coat. The plunging décolletage of Madame X was reimagined as a heart-shaped neckline on a sleek black sheath dress, while abstract floral prints were eye-catching on a flowing silky skirt and a coordinated set of soft trousers paired with an off-the-shoulder top. “Indulging ourselves is important,” Griffiths remarked. “It’s about joy, and a dash of capriciousness.” Fashion, after all, is a form of presentation, with the outfits we wear speaking volumes about who we are, not unlike a portrait.
