Eudon Choi autumn/winter 2016 collection catwalk show for LFW

In a collection built around such striking juxtapositions – the hard and the soft, the muted and the vivid – it is perhaps no surprise to discover that designer Eudon Choi had drawn upon the work of two artists for inspiration, each with a very different artistic style.

Although both work in the abstract tradition, Saloua Raouda Choucair and Helen Frankenthaler each create wildly different paintings. Whilst Choucair favours sharp, graphic lines and colours, Helen works with a more muted palette and soft, fluid shapes.

It is clear how the distinct styles of both artists have informed Choi’s latest offering, with its beautifully flowing, draping shapes balanced against the sharper, tailored lines. Block colours and graphic patterns clashed appealingly with the floating pleats and long silhouettes that they decorated.

Choi’s masterful ability to manipulate fabric and texture also provided an opportunity for further depth and unexpected contrasts. Beautifully soft cashmere and wool knits were delicately cut and slit to expose areas of the lightweight cotton or chiffon layer beneath. Meanwhile, the colour palette combined warm, neutral shades of beige, mauve and ivory with bolder hues of pink, burgundy and sky blue.

As the show continued, there was a definite hint of a sort of 1970s space-age aesthetic, with the mid and full-length skirts and wide-legged jumpsuits offset by metallic ankle or knee boots. Elsewhere, the dropped shoulder blazers and neatly tailored coats also had a hint of the vintage, but managed to feel sharply contemporary at the same time.

A deceptively effortless set of clothes, and one which truly demonstrates Choi’s unique ability to create something beautifully coherent out of such a wide-ranging influences.

Grace Cain
Photos: Krisztian Pinter