Roksanda Ilincic
© Catwalking

When Roksanda Ilincic says of her show, “It wasn’t a bright palette”, you know that’s never actually going to mean head-to-toe greige. The Serbian-British designer is known for bold zinging colours, so her version of muted means a few rich purples and sunflower yellows amid earthier shades of terracotta and milk chocolate, as well as powder pink, white and inky blue.

Ilincic said she was “thinking about nature, pebbles on a beach, sun, cornflowers . . . asiness of late summer.”

Volume is another Ilincic signature, but this season it had been toned down and replaced by a sportier feel. Exposed zips ran down the back of loose silk dresses and striped tracksuit trims provided small cuffs on otherwise billowing silk sleeves or ran down the side of tailored trousers.

Pretty sundresses in more luxurious fabrics than the crinkle cottons normally worn to the beach made up the mainstay of the collection. A brown silk version with thin straps crossing the back in red and blue came in a brown the shade of sun baked earth, while others featured bell sleeves and striped cuffs, or sections of different stripes, spots and shapes.

Some dresses were layered over wide silk trousers, and tops included one with a feather print, topped with real strand-like feathers. The fabrics all added a lustre to the clothes, from a gold metallic bomber jacket, to a “liquid silk” dress that gleamed like freshly polished copper.

The soundtrack was provided by a recording of the pianist Lubomyr Melnyk, known for his ability to play “continuous music”. He compares making music to “having sunshine pouring through your fingers . . . it’s like a joy”. The perfect accompaniment to a sunny, joyful collection.

Roksanda Ilincic
© Catwalking

Photographs: Catwalking

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