Molly Goddard welcomed guests into her studio on a sunny Saturday morning of this most unusual of fashion weeks. Until a few days ago Molly had planned to host a small, salon-style show of this season’s collection for friends and family. New government rules put paid to that though. Instead, Molly played out the show behind closed doors last night, and then invited press and buyers to view the garments in situ and watch a film of the show which is available for everyone on YouTube.
Molly’s been working non-stop, she explained, since we all went into lockdown in March. She’s taken over a whole other section of the block her studio is in, vacated by a gallery in Spring, helping to facilitate some socially distanced making.
“When we went into lockdown we barely stopped working,” Molly explained. “At first almost everything we worked on was really pared back, all-white, very neutral.” As lockdown went on, and “when it seemed like things were returning to normal for a moment”, she was inspired in part by the Italian art collectors Guiseppe and Giovanni Panza and their collection, housed in the Villa Menafoglio in Varese, and the way it combined the sleek with the messy, the pared-back with the exuberant (an idea that runs through much of Molly’s work anyway).
And as we approached summer, and the loosening of COVID-induced restrictions, Molly began working in colour, a little explosion of joy after the long months of lockdown. And over the 31 looks presented here, there’s a huge, ecstatic eruption of colour (you can still find some echoes of the white collection in dresses and skirts that anchor it) across a palette of acid greens and oranges, and soft reds and pinks, and clashing prints and textures.
For example; a pink checker print cardigan worn over a striped orange T-shirt and a neon green skirt. There were hats by Stephen Jones and a collaboration with UGG — stacked platforms and cosy slippers. Two other highlights: a dusty red raincoat with tulle skirting ,and tops made of tulle that resembled poofy little clouds. All of which is what makes Molly’s designs so enjoyable, the feeling of joy that underscores it all and roots its personality so firmly.
