For his show at On|Off on Friday, Bernard Chandran's references were distinctly topical. Fresh off the swine-flu bandwagon, his collection was unusually accessorised with jewel encrusted surgical masks. The effect over-all gave the collection a tough edge and a sense of glam-bondage, as well as a serious air of caution.
Indeed, the toughened feel continued through to structured breastplates, boned dresses and corset shapes.
Sticking with the topical theme, a subtle reference to MJ was lurking amidst the structured, wood-effect printed pieces. While a fair number of models sported jewell encrusted gloves on both hands, one model wore a singular white glove, embellished with silver rhinestones, serving as a reminder to all, of music's greatest weirdo.
The collection otherwise had a Japanese feel to it. Models walked skillfully on towering wooden platforms, not dissimilar to the kind that Geisha wear, while conical, lantern shaped hats also made an appearance.
The overall effect was very east meets west, in a pleasing collection, the highlight of which were large crystal spikes on shoulders that looked like glittering icicles.