Silk, tweed and leather inspired by gangster movie vixens.
Go on then.
I really didn’t think Alan Moore of ten30 could out do himself after his fantastic ballet inspired show The Ukrainian Girl earlier this year. An invite popped in to my inbox, all hush hush. I knew there would be tweed and wine, but the actually thematic element of this seasons collection was all kept very hush hush. I tried to poke and prod Alan for more details……and all I got was “bit more mature…I think you’ll like it.” Well god damn.
I suppose there are worse places than Malmaison to spend a rainy Saturday night in Glasgow. The intimate catwalk was adorned with heather, each seat came with a small token, hand embroidered quotes from classic gangster films Casino, Scarface and Goodfellas. A clue of what was to come to the evening mixing ten30’s love of luxe with something more lighthearted and personal, it’s these extra touches that have come to define ten30 shows.
The A/W collection mixed Harris Tweed, with leather, silk and faux fur – very decedent and luxurious – and heaven knows I love a good old mix of fabric. Silk and leather? Everything about the collection was very much about contrasts. Hard and soft. Sexy and vulnerable. The A/W preview was a mix of silk shirts, wearable dresses and jackets. Moore’s collections are unashamedly feminine – the black silk dress with leather peter pan collar proved popular – evoking memories from his previous collection. It feels like a natural progression yet more mature. His collection of silk shirts with shredded detail looked beautiful and gave the show a slightly more masculine edge and evoking a sense of power. I have to say I wasn’t crazy for the styling here (tights and shirt is for the most part not my thing) – but the pieces looked lovely and floaty. Highlights for me were the faux fur jacket with the leather lining – it’s playful, a bit sexy and pretty much plays in to my love for outerwear and the purple tweed dress with leather sleaves was simple and again mixed my love of wool and leather. There was some gorgeous trousers in the collection that I would like to see more of. I can’t really talk about the show without talking about Moore’s finale piece. A shreded silk dress with intricate beaded detailing. While the rest of the collection was very classic sulty in shapes – this peice has a more grunge feel – contrasting with it’s luxury fabrics.
The show had this great atmosphere. With the collection inspired by the sexy powerful woman of gangster films, the Scottish edge came through more in the textiles and the entertainment – the excellent Gillian Frame on violin with the talented Mark Brendan Farmer of 17th Century on vocals. Admittedly I was disappointed not to see any prints – something that I feel Moore excels in and would have been wonderful to see this translated here. That said the collection overall feels more mature, and not so much a change in direction but a growth for Moore. His designs remain youthful but feel more refined and polished. Without a doubt one of Scotland’s ones to watch.
Scottish writer based in Glasgow