When I was a child, a song told me that I should never smile at a crocodile. Never run, walk away, say goodnight, not good day. Finally, like many childhood myths, this one too has been disproved. For I am indeed smiling at a crocodile - it’s a very ludicrous, insane grin that may or may not generate certain amounts of drooling saliva. And I can barely bring myself to look away.
The crocodile in question comes from UK designer
Christopher Kane’s latest collaboration with High St behemoth
Topshop, and is a take on Kane’s famously celebrated
gorilla and ape dresses and tees. While it’s only been 3 years since Kane graduated from London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins College, the design wunderkind is something of a UK fashion icon already- and without doubt one of the most covetable young designers the world over.
Luckily (for paupers and students like myself), Kane is accessible too now, given his ongoing collaborative relationship with Topshop. A testament to the brilliance of Topshop’s unerring dedication to cutting edge style, the range allows mere mortals to take home a piece of Kane genius at a fraction of the designer’s usual price.
The latest offering from the partnership is probably the most keenly anticipated Topshop collaboration of the year, easily overshadowing the delightful work of some of his equally as impressive contemporaries (although I’m hedging bets against Emma Cook’s yet to be revealed shoe collection). Featuring body con shapes, meshy textures, industrial embellishments and a harmoniously disjointed colour palette of soft yellow, fluro pink, black, white and navy, the collection carries the unique Kane aesthetic, remaining unrelentingly true to the designer’s (to date) infallible style. Embracing the beauty in contradiction, Kane juxtaposes the animalistic undercurrents of his work with feminine shapes and soft colours.
The collection revolves largely around the aforementioned crocodile dress, a digitally printed, violently gnashing image that is a tribute to the much hyped gorilla dress, as well as body con dresses and sheer tights embellished with eyelets and mirrored gems. I think it’s important to note at this juncture that I will be more than willing to fight to get my hands on both the croc dress and the eyelet denim jacket- and what a battle it will be! The collection is due to hit stores, including Topshop’s online bazaar (that luckily ships out to Australia), some time in September, so keep your eyes peeled and you ears to the floor, because chances are this collection is going to be a fast sell out.