A voluptuous matador confidently walks down the corridor of the National Portrait Gallery while all the paintings are looking at its pure white jacket.
White, light blue and yellow are devoured by the eyes of the guests at the catwalk. It’s not a basic, normal catwalk but a deconstruction of the many lives of Erdem Moralioglu.
A man who borrowed silk, crepe fabric and tartan from a decade he has never lived but that it’s part of his heritage.
Gemstone earrings highlight the delicate features of the women passing by. The soft silk caresses the wooden floor like the dresses worn by Fanny and Stella.
This collection was inspired by the story of these two women. They liked the rich and prosperous floral prints on dresses, but they weren’t allowed to wear them in the Victorian society of the 19th century.
The background reveals Queen Victoria and Prince Albert statue representing eternal love, and that is what Erdem unveils: black floral print that wins over everything, just like love.
Fanny and Stella -which real names were Frederik Park and Ernest Boulton- were two men who loved living as women, (probably transsexual and non-binary) in a world that didn’t accept them but that would have celebrated their bravery soon.
While Erdem models step one after another, grey tartan shows how its tailoring can be austere but feminine, strong but delicate on the curves of women’s bodies. This tartan suit is the perfect connubium between the Victorian style which inspired Erdem Moralioglu and the ethereal conception of being female.
The transparent gown indeed exceeds with long sleeves that adapts to the light blue lace motive which frames the white ruffles and Victorian white collar.
The corridor is illuminated by the golden total look of another silky creation. A rigid but precious blazer with matching trousers; slits move with by the rhythm of the soundtrack.
The designer not only let his creations meet the tastes of Fanny and Stella.
It is like he organized an “afternoon tea” with his grandmothers too; one came from Scotland while the other was a citizen of the Ottoman Empire. In fact, these creations still portray the blue flowers and the ‘20s designs present in his old family photo album.
Erdem Moralioglu is the designer of a past that has never been so close to our times.