Laurie Guillem
Edward Crutchleyʼs SS21 collection, called ‘Something Gritty, Something Pretty’, draws inspiration from the avenging female Yakuza bosses in Hideo Goshaʼs 1986 film Gokudô no onna-tachi (The Yakusa wives). Beside the tribute to Japanese traditional clothing and kabuki, the 80’s aesthetics is everywhere, from the oversized power suits to the Versace-inspired prints to the gigantic puff sleeves. The whole collection oozes eighties decadence and it’s exhilarating.
Key garments include spectacular dresses with giant kimono sleeves and the Mariachi-inspired jackets and capes, with continuous ribbon stitching. Prints are everywhere, whether simple like the black and white gingham or richer and more complex with a graphic magnolia flower design on the Aloha shirts and shorts, or the bursting summer fruits combined with the EC logo wheel.
‘This season is fruity and fancy.’
