London’s fashion inner circle flocked to East London on Monday night for the one-off, made-to-order collection between emerging fashion label 16Arlington and Antony Price, 80, the famed designer from ’70s and ’80s London known for designing suits for Roxy Music and Duran Duran, and dressing Queen Camilla.
The 16Arlington studio by Hoxton overground station was neatly transformed into an intimate salon setting, with the only clue of the space’s daily function being rolls of fabric tucked under a big table, which became temporary seats for London “It” girls such as Cora Corre, Harriet Verney and Tali Lennox.
The show, as well as the collection, was done out of love and support.
The Adwoa and Kesewa Aboah sisters, Edie Campbell, Paloma Elsesser, Kai-Isaiah Jamal, Lila Moss, and Lara Stone were joined by “West End Girl” singer Lily Allen, who made her runway debut alongside the dashing Kit Butler, donning a men’s tailored suit in midnight navy dupion. Allen said she agreed to walk the show because she is “a big fan” of Price.
Envisioned as a celebration of the “cross-generational, eternal, enduring” nature of glamour, the collection featured some 16 looks, with each redefining one notion of glamour.
Allen, whose latest album has sparked online discussions about the real-life identity of “Madeline,” wore an evening dress in midnight navy velvet, lined with absinthe green satin. The dress featured a strapless structured bodice and a seashell design at the upper chest. The latter was a direct reference to a look from Price’s 1981 collection.
Other standouts from the compact yet high-energy lineup included the “Freezer” frock-coat, as seen on Campbell. The design came with a high-rise collar, attenuated cuffs, and emphasized hipline and bust. Then there was the silver feather-adorned minidress “Pollo” worn by Moss, and “Jerry,” a strapless white dress with brown cock feathers arranged in zebra patterns.
Backstage, Capaldo, who sat out London Fashion Week in September, said he first met Price when he launched 16Arlington with the late Federica Cavenati around 2018. At the time, Price said he loved the way 16Arlington injects sex and glamour into the London fashion scene.
The idea of them working together was born out of friendship, said Capaldo, adding that there are many parallels between the trajectories of the two brands, dressing and engaging with cultural arbiters of their respective times.
Capaldo delved into Price’s archive, identified pieces that spoke to him, and decided to reflect and celebrate the way Price shapes the body and his obsession with the waist for the collaboration.
Those armor-like pointed breasts designs and devil horns details, which came with various iterations on the runway, for example, according to Price were meant to signal the message of “Don’t mess with me.”