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If there lives a gloomy goth inside Erdem, Monday’s autumn/winter 13 show was its coming out party. But the heavy introduction of black to the designer’s neat Mid-Century universe shouldn’t be mistaken for a trip to the dark side, because while Erdem’s world of floral prints and tiny little gloves might suggest otherwise, he’s been there for ages. This season Erdem took the amazingly cold and sinister quality that’s always been looming within the strict primness of his work to a different, more clear-cut level, which practically screamed Hitchcock even before the theme from Psycho closed the show. (Take for instance the collection’s Erdem for Linda Farrow sunglasses, which looked like something a sci-fi version of Grace Kelly could have worn.) Erdem has never shied away from a Hitchcockian reference, and it doesn’t just go for his aesthetics. Like Hitchcock, Erdem masters a sublime kind of elegance, which controls the creative frames of his work and keeps them so defined that his expression only changes minimally. Because of his dainty vibes and precise signature, Erdem is sometimes wrongfully categorised as someone who only dresses grown-ups. But just because mums like it, too, doesn’t mean it isn’t youthful. Much like Hitchcock’s blondes, the Erdem woman is mysterious and often indefinable – not least when it comes to age – making the appeal of the designer’s work pretty universal.
Text: Anders Christian Madsen
Images: Mitchell Sams
