Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY Fall/Winter 2020 Review
An extraterrestrial voice reigned down from the heavens at the opening of Charles Jeffery’s LOVERBOY show tonight in London. It said, “Stop looking for what you want”. A disco ball proceeded to light up the dark stage, as models stomped in a square around a tree set piece covered in CDs created by Simon Costin. Jeffrey split his gang into two opposing counter-cultural tribes called the “Danders” and the “Glaedyhooks”. Both inspired by the Scottish traditional Festival of the Horse, the Danders were descendants of Teddy Boys, shown with tough silhouettes warped with Scottish militaria. The wore equine leather head straps and harness. As the collection became more technically intricate, the Danders begin to morph into horses themselves. Their Teddy Boy quiffs began to stretch into shapes that resembled actual horse’s heads.
The Glaedyhooks, in contrast, embodied elegance and were born from nature. They wore panniers, gowns, and soft brushstroke printed silks that glided around the body when they danced and sprinkled white roses onto the floor. They wore corsages, let their cotton candy hair run wild, and decorated their face in shimmering white and blue paint. masterful tailoring, campy decorations, and punkish accessories
Though the Danders and the Glaedyhooks stood at opposite sides, they both participated in the Festival, deriving from a shared history and common culture. An equal exchange between the two tribes happened as well. Though one model came strutting down in a Dander look with their sharp tailoring and chunky boots, they donned a tie with the brushstroke print of the Glaedyhook dresses. These two tribes are not at war with each other, rather they have their differences, but dance to become one.
The dance itself bordered between a traditional Scottish folk dance with symmetric and respect. The four dancers hung from each other and were perfectly symmetrical. Then, they began to lunge into a more fast-faced, contemporary dance until the fell to the floor. As the dance began to dissipate, it became clear that culture was at a breaking point. The serendipitous ritual appeared as a distraction that became a dance to the death. Unless the near impossible happens and we are able to change human culture for the better, this will be the fate of the human race, according to Jeffrey. In fact, “Hell Mend You”, the name of the collection, reflected on the idea that we are already in Dante’s Inferno, but through the fire we could still change our fate.
Photos Courtesy of VogueRunway.com