London: Mary Katrantzou’s trompe-l’oeil collage

The shapes were simple enough at Mary Katrantzou‘s London Fashion Week show--long- and cap-sleeved shift dresses, a high-collar vest, a pencil skirt. There was maybe a ruffle or an asymmetric neck, but otherwise all the detail came as a clash of jewels, bows, lace and folds--all prints. It was a clever mix of the new minimalism with the over-the-top ornament of recent seasons. In the closing looks, the show’s flat decoration exploded as ruffles--the 3-D kind--cascading from hips and shoulders.