This morning at the show space in London’s Old Selfridges Hotel, Yuhan Wang’s court was in session. “I was inspired by women in law, and how they’ve shaped our history,” Wang said at a preview, citing the US Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg, as well as the British judge Brenda Hale, as examples of the powerful women whose work has paved the way for Wang’s own generation in all corners of society. “It’s really a celebration of their confidence and courage, and their contributions to women’s social status and their work around the elimination of gender discrimination.”
It may sound like a rather severe starting point—sartorially, at least—but once seen through Wang’s whimsical lens, it presented a compelling dialogue between her signature girlish florals and frills and her move to more grown-up tailoring pieces and outerwear over the past few seasons. (The inclusive casting across a broader spectrum of age and body type also helped reiterate Wang’s more mature direction.) The opening look served as a tidy introduction to Wang’s courtroom drama: the traditional civil robes of High Court judges re-envisioned as a sheer lacy cloak with power shoulders and a flap collar, worn over pleated hotpants and white lacy tights with a garter. There was a touch of humor in having the model walk toting a briefcase—humor because, well, even in the more progressive environment of today’s world of law, this look does not meet a professional dress code.
Yet what followed saw those strict style codes translated into a series of looks that, when broken down, had some surprisingly wearable pieces in the mix. A tweed skirt suit featured frilly sleeves made of repurposed lace cut-offs from previous seasons, offering a more playful riff on the sophisticated wardrobe staple; as did another tailored jacket cut from a satin viscose that was gently nipped in at the waist and came with a matching skirt that bloomed into folds at the bottom to provide a gentle swish. (With much of the collection realized in black and white—for obvious reasons—it also meant that Wang’s eye for detail was able to really shine.) The designer still had some more outré tricks up her sleeve, though: not least in a final look that reinterpreted the judge’s uniform into something altogether racier, with a corseted waist embedded in the jacket, and lacy suspender underwear worn over shorts that erupted into straggles of frilly lace above the knee. Her subversive streak ensured there was still plenty of delightful disorder in Wang’s court.
