As we all shuffled out of the rain, into a lift, and up to the sixth floor of an unassuming building in Soho, it was hard not to wonder what kind of show fashion week veteran Diane von Furstenberg had in store for us.
The answer? A glorious, glossy ode to women.
Sexy, glamorous, and oozing youth and beauty, von Furstenberg presented a collection that spoke of a lifestyle that most of us will never experience. But it was just so pretty that we didn’t even mind.
The runway was a cornucopia of glamazonian women. It opened with Karlie Kloss striding the catwalk, in a patchwork print version of the iconic wrap dress. She was closely followed by the likes of Jourdan Dunn, Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk, Binx Walton, Lily Aldridge and even Kendal Jenner thrown in there for good measure. The final closing look, a deeply plunging chiffon maxi dress was worn by Gigi Hadid. And in case that wasn’t quite enough models in one room, pregnant Karolína Kurková was seated front row.
The clothes themselves were an updated trip down memory lane, a re-imagined take on the 60s, 70s and 80s. Hippie inspired mixed prints, carved into shirts and teamed with flowing mini skirts. Indian gold embroidered reinvented into swirling butterfly motifs on a playsuit. Body skimming column dresses in clashing prints. Even a shimmering gold lurex skirt and jacket, that would not have looked out of place in Studio 54.
A palette of pink and gold dominated the show, with the odd touch of black with gold embroidery. Flowing maxi dresses rendered in mismatched panels were billowing and appealing, while thigh skimming skirts were fresh and sassy. Even an asymmetric goddess dress, worn by Irina Shayk, seemed somehow everyday wearable.
The whole show was fun, happy and upbeat, and as the clothes tumbled past in a cascade of pleasing colours, it was easy to get swept away in the fun-in-the-sun glamour. Even the hard bitten New York fashion set fell for it, as even they were seen cheering and clapping in the end like children.
When von Furstenberg came out to take her bow — which for many designers is an awkward bob around the curtain, it was clear she was enjoying herself. She walked the entire runway smiling, greeting the audience, and even dancing at one point. Her sheer joy of life, and the show she presented, was utterly contagious.