It was lovely to see the Orla Kiely presentation during London Fashion Week this season. To say that gal knows how to entertain a crowd is an understatement. Instead of the bog-standard trot up a runway, she had her models sashay through a studio and head to a quirky diorama kind of a setting decked out in washed out safari backdrops and genius retro camping props.
With her theme dreamed up from a Girl Scout meets African adventure, but in a glamping-kind-of-way-so-they-wouldn’t-get-their-socks-dirty, even the models looked like they were having fun playing the girl scout cameos, whilst the music blasted classics like ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’.
The looks had a mix of sweet summer dresses in cottons and organza. Pleats and epaulettes abounded in pastel shades, as did safari prints and animal embroidery details. There was a typical smattering of ‘Kiely kitsch’ as the models tip-toed around the scene in open-toe sandals and knee high socks (which I certainly remember wearing to school). It had me thinking of The Famous Five on tour in tropical climes.
