Anyone who’s ever lost their luggage in transit will know the feeling Meryll Rogge wanted to evoke with her creatively cobbled together spring collection. Her make-do silhouettes channeled the anything goes eclecticism of airport dressing, inspired by paparazzi snaps of people pictured in transport hubs through the decades, showed in deliberate slow motion with a presentation lasting nearly 45 minutes — a comment on fast fashion and its foibles and a bit like the wait before a flight.
The Belgian designer stitched crumpled evening satin with big rhinestone embellishments onto sporty jersey to create off-kilter gowns, as if the wearer was flying straight from a night on the tiles. They had no skirts at the back, layered over jaunty denim. There were shirts from a Hawaiian holiday — a cropped version with a frilly collar was particularly cute — and bleached fabrics inspired by the work of Ed Ruscha. Blazers were transformed into skirts, chinos into knicker-like shorts, and offset poplin shirts mingled with baseball caps, cosy double-faced merino knits, hoodies, scarves and comforting outerwear to envelop the body on a sleepless night. Leather belts played a key role, pulling in those borrowed khaki pants to fit — something that will undoubtedly resonate with the thrift-store generation and its anything-goes aesthetic.
Beneath the clever play and creative chaos there were plenty of appealing wardrobe options to accompany Meryll Rogge on a journey far.