Wales Bonner is turning 10 years old this season, and the brand made its comeback on the runway to celebrate. With clean elements of dandyism and casual Ivy, the collection, named “Jewel”, was an homage to “Superfine style” – a significant aspect of this year’s Met Gala theme, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”, at which Grace Wales Bonner was a committee member – and 1930s opulent eveningwear.
The designer just knows how to make the most wearable and sophisticated garments while steering away from being monotonous, and she didn’t hold back for SS26. “Soulful clothing”, as she called it in her show notes. Subtle pussybows were paired with jeans, tracksuits were styled with louche Art Deco patterns. Shorts were the main character, brought in different iterations of casual and formal, microshort and long (worn with shirts, knits, leather jackets and blazers).
GWB introduced her new adidas Y-3 collaboration (a first in her ongoing partnership with adidas Originals) – filled with archive silhouettes and a revival of the Y-3 Field shoe (so good) – which was styled with tailored jackets, short suiting and louche shirts.
Utilitarian, casual looks of workwear-inspired denim, polo knits and adidas were juxtaposed with elegantly opulent evening looks of suiting and tailcoats (produced in collaboration with Savile Row legends Anderson and Sheppard). The second to last look was the standout: a crisp-white cropped tailcoat with a black cinched high-waisted trouser were paired with a black turtleneck peaking through a white shirt. GWB showed us how it’s done. She really came with the most excellent tailoring. And the details were too good: the buckles on the loafers shined through, diamond baobab flower brooches decorated the lapels, adornments were hanging from berets (the beret was a nod to the 1930s, but also a political symbol of liberation through the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party).
Although there were elements of 1930s eveningwear, as she mentioned in her show notes, her style always references the ‘60s and 70s: a time where Black Ivy style was at its peak, a time where Bob Marley wore his adidas to play football (a recurring major style influence on Wales Bonner’s adidas partnership). Wales Bonner subverted the Superfine tailoring theme of the Met, celebrating Black prep in its many forms (casual and formal).
Featured image Wales Bonner©
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