For part one of a continuous design story that Jenny Packham has coined ‘Disco Couture,’ the designer found her muses in film’s most quietly powerful female characters: an icy-cool Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface, the sleek and erotic Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, femme fatale Ellen Barkin in the neo-noir Sea of Love. Women, to Packham, who know how to wield a certain style of glamor. They inspired a decided step change in this collection toward looks that cling, contour, and cultivate a more modern and youthful sensuality.
This was elucidated in slinky bias dresses and a shimmering, cinematic color palette—cool tones, high-wattage chromes, and flashes of pastel. And, as always, sequins spun every which way to tell a spectrum of feminine narratives. One strapless gold dress featured all-over elongated square sequins for a mirrorball effect. A liberal use of crystal bugle beads and vermicelli beading created free-flowing textures on a plunging, liquidy turquoise dress and gold slip. On the silkier side, there was a draped-back white gown for the minimalist bride. More modest silhouettes were just as commanding: take a soft azure blue dress with structured shoulders and a high neck encircled with winged layers of sequin, crystals, and mirror appliqués. There was a sparkling gold kaftan dress with billowing sleeves that still found the curves of the body, and a black column dress that culminated in a cape that fell like tendrils of smoke. Separates sang this season, too, like an impeccably tailored, round-necked black jacket bordered by sparkling gold medallions.
This evolving modern Jenny Packham look responds to the same sensibilities that have powered her high-performing cocktail attire category, where customers ask for strappier styles and short (and even shorter still!) hemlines. On red carpets, Ellie Kemper and Elizabeth Debicki have opted for the label’s most form-fitting and delicately dappled styles. There was so much the designer wanted to do with the ideas here that her new approach will carry over into next season—a sequel to anticipate.
