Who says you need to wait until Halloween to dress up? On Friday, to celebrate their birthdays, Isamaya Ffrench and Hollie Bowden threw an animal print-themed extravaganza at Brunswick House with guests including Nadia Lee Cohen, Yaz XL, Princess Julia and Conner Ives. 

For the occasion, Bowden turned to friend and fashion designer Yaz XL who created a custom-made dress in what Bowden describes as a telepathic collaboration. “She took influence from my aesthetic and filtered my world into a dress. [She was] inspired at first by a framed photograph she found in my studio of a woman wearing a cone bra corset, [and] the final look featured a contouring of the body using animal print,” she says. The result was Kat Slater meets Vivienne Westwood.

For make-up Bowden kept things minimal to hold focus on the outfit. Make-up artist Joe Brook used Isamaya Beauty make-up including a copper lipstick. Ffrench chose a similar antique gold lipstick with a darker lip liner and a feline eye, “to match the colours and textures of head to toe leopard outfit”, she says.

Set against the surrealist backdrop of London’s Brunswick House, the animalistic looks of the guests created an almost otherworldly effect. For her own look, Yaz wore a daring snake bandeau top and armadillo snakeskin custom-made boots which were an interpretation of the iconic McQueen ones. The look was a standout of the night for both Ffrench and Bowden. “I’d also like to give a special mention to my assistant François Bresmal who caught a cold the next morning after wearing a leopard torso body painting look for the whole night,” says Ffrench.

Other highlights for Bowden included Joe Sweeney’s Vivienne Westwood coat, Nadia Lee’s epic bodysuit leopard feather dress, Ben Ditto’s Johji Yamamoto trousers and zebra snood by Comme, as well as Karen Clarkson wearing full 90s Galliano. “Ed Marler and Matthew Josephs also looked incredible – the theme was made for them!”