WORD.

LONDON FASHION WEEK S/S2011 – BSTORE FILM  

Languid and disaffected, pensive and contemplative, b Store's womenswear film, entitled 'Leaving Dreamland' and directed by Velvet Rain duo Ivana Bobic and Rain Li, invoked 'Paris, Texas' and Gus Van Sant's 'Drugstore' Cowboy'  to communicate a grapple between adolescence and womanhood. Steeped in hazy Americana, fluorescent lighting, abandoned diners and down-and-out fairgrounds depicted a lonely LA, presenting a long-haired and befringed protagonist stranded, searching and wiling away the hours.

Distinctly nineties in spirit, the film - complete with fuzzed-out soundtrack by Patent Saints - captured the character of a collection slyly indebted to the period. Pared down rather than minimalist, jumpsuits and shirt dresses, skater skirts and high waisted shorts, spaghetti strapped tube tops and tank dresses in knit and chiffon came in a palette of gray, black, cream and denim blue, a pixelated floral print offering relief from block color. If distressed knits and exposed bustiers spoke of discontented youth, then a tied white shirt and classic black trench coat spoke of impending maturity, the balance of both negating the notion that the titular Dreamland should ever be relinquished.

Posted by Luke Raymond