It was in the thick of party season when I visited Roland Mouret at his Clerkenwell studio—and judging by the racks of clothes showcasing his pre-fall collection, the mood was certainly festive Chez Mouret. Earlier in December, at the Fashion Awards, one of the designer’s meticulously cut black velvet gowns was worn by Issa Rae, who picked up one of the night’s major trophies; and hanging from the rails were more crystals and sequins than you could shake a stick at, telegraphing an air of confidence and glamour on behalf of both Mouret and any future wearer. “It should have a cool attitude, but not in your face,” said Mouret, firmly.
While Mouret always begins the design process through fitting and draping on a mannequin (as opposed to a mood board, or the like) he did concede an unusually specific source of inspiration this season in the form of Tamara de Lempicka. The Art Deco painter’s turbo-charged paintings of sleek, glamorous women were echoed gently in the bold diagonal of a paneled mini dress, or the slight lift of a padded power shoulder on a jacket, or a dress with a structured neckline whose exaggerated proportions (lined with crystals, naturally) recalled the wings of a bird in flight.
Yet Mouret knows how to indulge his more flamboyant side while remaining within the realm of good taste: to counterbalance the collection’s more opulent moments, he kept his enduring love of 20th-century American fashion front of mind—and more specifically, the minimalist spirit of a classic ’90s New York woman’s wardrobe. “I do love that kind of simplicity—the simple lines, but with amazing details,” he added. Upon closer inspection, those details—carefully placed pockets, fabric clenched into buckles at the waistlines of dresses, the meticulously measured height of a thigh slit, or the perfect flounce of a crepe peplum—were just as impressive as Mouret’s dazzling diamantés and warm, jewel-toned colors this season.
It’s been a whirlwind few years for Mouret, after selling his company to Self-Portrait’s Han Chong and the renewed popularity of his designs on the red carpet, with A-listers from Kate Winslet to Amy Adams stepping out in his dresses over the past few months. With the success of his brand under this new aegis, it seems he’s finally allowed himself a moment to pause and reflect. “I started the brand in the last century!” Mouret said, laughing. “Technically, it’s true.” Thankfully, he’s more energized than ever. “I feel like I had a strong identity when I started, but I think it’s quite nice that it’s still evolving, season after season. The world is changing so much, and I want the Roland Mouret woman to be in sync with it.”
