It was chaos at Claridge’s Hotel yesterday morning. Clutching our invite as if it were Charlie Bucket’s Golden Ticket to the Wonka factory, we squeezed through the crowds trying to get in, shimmied past the bouncers and through the art deco panelled revolving doors into the hotel.
Texture, yeti fur and chunky knits = cosiness Mulberry style
Inside, it was like a Mulberry-themed fantasy land. Every surface was festooned with gold balloons in the shape of the Mulberry padlock, giant padlocks were stacked up around the walls, and Claridge’s waiters handed out miniature bottles with black and gold Mulberry labels filled with juice.
Inside the starlit Ballroom, enormous yeti creatures loomed over the catwalk, while furry paws reached out to grab the gold padlocks. In the darkened room, we parked our bottoms on long benches covered in shaggy black fur to wait for the show.
Setting the scene: Yetis loomed large over the catwalk, inspired by Maurice Sendak's children's classic Where The Wild Things Are
There was much hysteria as Michelle WIlliams, Lana Del Rey, Olivia Palermo, Elizabeth Olsen and Bill Nighy were shepherded through the crowd of gathered guests; gawd knows how Anna Wintour got in without ruffling her bob .
The collection itself was heavy on the fur – inspired by Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are (creepy children’s book with lots of hairy monsters) – meaning full yeti long-haired goat coats, gilets and even skirts.
It was a feast of volume and texture, with chunky marble-knit scarves tucked into skinny leather belts, viscose-coated skirts with a delicate sheen acting as a foil for shaggy fur or heavy knits, and tons of parkas.
The colour palette? Oak, chocolate, sycamore, espresso, shot through with flame and petrol with the odd flash of snowball white.
BAG NEWSFLASH:
Apart from the Del Rey, which was sent down the catwalk in an inky blue sparkly croc, there was the Maisie, which was given a modern overhaul with heat moulded rubber creating the trad Mulberry locks and hardware on the facade of the bag in a trompe l’oeil fashion.
The Alexa got the AW12 treatment too – tassels and studs added, as well as colourful zig zags.
The goody bag: Mulberry monster chocs
