Sirens sounding put the audience on the edge of their seats at the BFC Courtyard Show Space last Friday. Anything but panic, however, ensued as Jean-Pierre Braganza debuted his A/W 2015 collection.
Braganza transported the audience to the past; a past full of fighter jets and Amelia Earhart’s sheepskin flight jacket where a mix of a film-noir vixen and wartime heroine dominates. Full of muted tones such as ink, forest, claret, and camel, this line had the potential to blend in as opposed to standing out, but the high-slits, stiff leather chokers and bracelets, and flowing fabrics were anything but ordinary.
The subtleness of the accessories from the crocheted finger-gloves to the bold gold zipper that adorned every pair of black leather heels, pointed to Braganza’s attention to detail. As a former art student and graduate of Central Saint Martins, this detail-oriented design style is of no surprise.
The faux fur accents to both bomber leather jackets and dresses added spiced up an otherwise ordinary business casual look. The stiff leather cuff bracelets gave the feeling of edginess not quite achieved with the leather chokers, which looked like they were doing just that to each model that wore them.
Staying true to the fighter jet influence, Braganza used jet prints on dresses and shirts alike. From a distance these prints looked almost tribal, but the subtleness of his choice to physically put the planes on his clothes, is what added to the uniqueness of the look. The jet prints were by far the brightest colors that the audience saw, making them impossible to overlook. They added a touch of youthfulness to his clothes that his grays and blacks did not possess.
The front row of the show was glittered with celebrities including, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Ann Pinnock, members of Little Mix. Thirwall and Pinnock both dressed Braganza for the occasion was dressed in a black and white Braganza dress from his S/S 2015 line.
Asked about their thoughts on the show, Pinnock said that she thought the show was “amazing [she] absolutely loved the colors, the olives and the maroons.” Thirlwall thought the “deep reds were absolutely gorgeous.”
Huong, an Elle representative, said she thought the show “was really nice. It was very minimalistic, but you have the pops of colors.” She “loved the combination of the fur and the leather. It was really great.”
A crowd favorite by far was the finale piece. This simple evening gown was forest colored and Braganza’s most form-fitting piece with a modest front neckline complimented by a slit up the back. Perhaps this dress summed up the show well, reminiscent of the past, modest, but eye-catchingly bold.