London Fashion Week SS12: Jasper Conran

Who: Jasper Conran

What: Clean lines, lithe, languid shapes, and a sense of simple sophistication. Dominant in black, white and silver-greys with explosive bursts of electic colour – the saturated tones of a geranium.

Highlights: Controlled colours – Conran picks the perfect shades – grown-up, feminine elegance and innovative detail (a weightless silk tulle overlay on a white dress with rigid red rectangles is, on first glance, invisible, but closer inspection shows there to be a fine film over the model’s shoulder). Also note-worthy are the perspex structured box bags.

Lowlights: It’s clean, crisp and controlled, with little room for relief or play – though frankly, it doesn’t need it.

Overall: If sporty could ever become sophisticated, Jasper Conran’s spring 2012 collection is where it’ll happen. Loose shapes, whether in dresses or separates, are relaxed, but painstakingly precise – cuts are modest, made interesting by detailed wraps and ties, a backless dress or layered fabrics. Cottons, crepes and silks form the basis of his structure, with an opening palette of black, white and silver-grey. A little reserved, you might think, until explosions of tone-perfect tomato-red and popping pink blast their way through monochromatic monotony. Simplistic stripes are layered onto light-as-air silk tulle and georgette, creating both interest and depth. It’s easy, elegant and grown-up, with a decisive lack of grandeur.

Watch the video of Jasper Conran’s spring/summer 2012 collection below:

Image: catwalking.com