Long live the tights! Yuhan Wang dreams a whimsical landscape for SS22
For her SS22 collection, the Central Saint Martins-educated womenswear designer’s offerings were a whimsical and romantic affair.
DESIGNER: YUHAN WANG
SEASON: Spring/Summer 2022
EVENT: London Fashion Week
LOCATION: The Selfridge Hotel, London
It’s near impossible for me to imagine a world where green tights are deemed a fashion must-have. Once upon a time, I would have worn them to my primary school disco, or maybe as part of a The Grinch-themed Christmas party. Never would I have thought they be considered such a serious trend as now at London Fashion Week, part of this season’s most anticipated shows (in our minds), styled by KATIE GRAND and featuring a line up that included LISA RINNA of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ daughter, AMELIA GRAY HAMLIN, and a guest list of figures including BIMINI BON BOULASH and our very own feature star, MAGDA.
Yuhan Wang, however, pulls it off. The eponymous Chinese designer’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection offered a plethora of lacy emerald green stockings, their vibrancy a stark contrast to the stony interiors of The Selfridge Hotel’s icy basement. Complimenting such bold statement pieces were a vast array of long, floating silhouettes, boasting delicate floral patterns and drenched in a palette of whites and frothy blues, with the occasional splash of scarlet red.
Green lace stockings aside, the collections favourites were the sheer lace dresses, which comprised of square Georgian-inspired necklines and dramatically ballooned sleeves, daintily paired with silken opera gloves in various pale hues. Sharply-pointed leather boots or slippers, tight-fitting bodices and brightly-coloured patterned tights transformed these whimsical fantasies into witchy visions - taken straight from the pages of an ancient folklore.
There is something so familiar yet refreshing about Wang’s newest collection. The 2016 L’Oreal Young Talent winning designer’s delicate drapings of silks and laces create a hyper-feminine finish that is embodied with strength through thick black belting and harnessing wound around the body. It perfectly embodies what it means to be a twenty-first century woman; soft and delicate, with a tough, determined vigour. It is abundantly clear through Wang’s clothing that she is determined to deconstruct deep-rooted notions of female fragility. “The collection is about women’s power, mentally as well,” Wang said. “We are stronger-minded than many men.”
Images courtesy of Getty.
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