Has real life become too mundane for our esteemed fashion designers? This season, we’re noticing an escape into flights of fancy, with a bevvy of new autumn/winter collections veering towards the comical and the fantastical. Whereas autumn/winter fashions tend towards the sombre, this year we’re sensing a more playful approach with retro references galore, particularly around the 80s and 90s.

 

Comical couture

Pieces from 3.1 Phillip Lim and Markus Lupfer are striking in their similarities, both channeling the bright primary colours of graphic novels, Archie-like comics and the pop-art works of Roy Lichtenstein. Lim’s slouchy sweaters and plastic make-up bags are instantly recognisable with the “crying girl” motif that directly references one of Lichtenstein’s most iconic works.

London-based Lupfer is best known for his subversive knitwear, and his AW12 collection is no different – playing on the humorous speech bubbles and googly eyes. We love the cheeky ‘Totes Amaze!’ sweater, playing on the ridiculously esoteric vernacular of today’s youth.

 

Futuristic forms

For other designers, silhouettes borrow strongly from the drastic geometrics and aesthetics of futuristic sci-fi films. We’re loving the latest offerings from Balenciaga that reference retro movie posters and vintage VHS sleeves, while mixing it up with deep maroons and marines reminiscent of the uniforms aboard the Starship Enterprise.

Donna Karan’s sharp tailored leathers immediately brought visions of Blade Runner to our minds, the monochrome blacks with mixed fabrics highlighting the form rather than masking it.

In the accessories world, we’re taken by Rupert Sanderson’s ethereal autumn/winter heel collection; the designer’s overflowing catalogue references everything from Marie Antoinette to urban cowboys, but we’ve zeroed in on the laser-cut patterns and metallic leathers of the Mion and Teoni heels, and the starry glitters and transparent plastic panelling in the Galactic series. Both, we’re told, are a straight-up homage to Tron’s virtual world.

 

That’s not all. Have you heard about 3.1 Philip Lim’s first-ever fashion graphic novel?