Initial reaction:

Drawing on the dark and introspective moments of their teenage years spent listening to PJ Harvey, Marta Marques and Paolo Almeida delivered their most personal collection to date. For a duo who’ve always taken their references from the youth subcultures of the 90s, it was a real delight to witness them craft a collection that looked inward rather than outward. The results speak for themselves.

Abstracting attitudes:

"We need to challenge ourselves every season," the duo said backstage. “I think that’s how we normally start and it’s kind of a gut feeling now. Last season we didn’t hold back in any way and it was that kind of idea of complete freedom. We felt the need to be more abstract, we were always super worried about the girl and the attitude, but we realised that’s always going to be there. That’s our DNA”

The look:

What began as a dark and moody affair (and I mean that as a compliment – we love to look back at the ‘agony’ of our teenage years, especially when re-mixed for the runway) transformed into an almost psychedelic happening. Sheer dresses made up of saturated pop colours contrasted with the black metallic denim that opened the show. Then came the final pieces, which featured sheer chiffon dripping in Swarovski crystals, which left the audience on a real high. The whole show played out the agony and euphoria of youth – Marques’ Almeida at its best.