For spring/summer 17 Caitlin Price’s fascination with nightlife rituals moves on to 24/7 partying, exploring the relentless hedonism of young British women on group getaways. Set against the backdrop of a heady and hypnotic film by Benjamin Bowe-Carter that blends nightclub strobe lights with crashing waves,
rites of passage trips to Ibiza, Marbella and Ayia Napa are recalled. Here ‘holiday best’ style is amplified and abstracted, to create an image of artificial poolside opulence.
Price’s deliberately OTT look this season is intended to play on the idea of aspirational hyper-reality. Initially inspired by the graphic shapes and saturated tones of the villa set piece in Jacques Tati’s 1958 film Mon Oncle, parallels were subsequently drawn with computer-generated noughties club flyers, and the contemporary obsession with Instagram filters. These Influences are seen most clearly in the collections palette, where candy pastels and punchy chemical brights feature heavily. As well as in a near-psychedelic distortion pattern that appears throughout looks in both panelled and cut-out form. Bold embroidered lettering by RART also emphasizes an idea of excess, with a largescale CP monogram logo, and head-to-toe white on white house music lyrics, that emerge more clearly under dance floor lights.
Throughout the collection, Price’s signature mix of body-conscious club wear and relaxed sportswear has been used to chart a day through night transition. A juxtaposition that’s become more pronounced through the influence of scant but dynamic swimwear references, which have made signature hybrid garments appear more dramatic. Pushing further at the boundaries of genre definition, a stronger effort towards eveningwear is also offered through the slight streamlining of silhouette, and more delicate volumes of drapery.
Completing outfits, a maximalist approach to accessorising has been taken. Pairing brightly tinted Rayban sunglasses with a range of chunky resin jewellery created in collaboration with Ellie Mercer. Each jewellery design is set with a selection of healing stones – chosen for their hyper-real appearance, and association with Ibiza’s long-established holistic movement.
Caitlin Price held her SS17 presentation and London Fashion Week After Party at Selfridges’ Forest Restaurant & Bar on The Roof in London. The event was the closing party of Selfridges’ Shakespeare reCITED programme - a series of electrifying music and art performances from today’s most compelling acts, held in collaboration with cult contemporary brands. Shakespeare reCITED pays homage to the master wordsmith in a brilliantly entertaining and unique fashion.
The night was a joint celebration, as Caitlin Price, with whom artist Little Simz created a highly collectible line of limited edition performance merchandise; marked London Fashion Week with a presentation on the Selfridges’ roof followed by a Simz-assisted after-party.
Inspired by the dramatic nature and intimate settings of classic Shakespeare plays such as Macbeth and Hamlet, Simz’ performance was an engagingly eerie experience. Performing many of her key tracks acoustically – including the metaphor laden Dead Body, Wings, God Bless Mary and Interlude, on which she worked with Rihanna writer Bibi Bourelly, the evening lent itself to Shakespeare in feel through interaction, engagement and conversation with the audience in an intimate and atmospheric setting.
Caitlin Price collections are available in store and online at Selfridges.com
Thank you to Blow PR for fashiontent's invitation to the show.
