FAULT Reviews – Christopher Shannon SS16

At a time when gender identity is on everyone’s lips, Christopher Shannon presented a collection that poked fun at masculinity by taking us on a sort of surreal ‘lads holiday.’ Models appeared as if fresh from a foam party, with faces and hair semi-smeared with the stuff, whilst some wore neon bikini tops as chains around their neck – the sort of trophy-hunting seen in the seventeen year-old’s of ‘Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents’. It could have gone so wrong, but Shannon is a seasoned pro and the collection was anchored in his experimental tailoring- with outsized shirts and elongated hemlines- as well as a well-controlled colour palette in black, white and an almost-coral pink (an obligatory nod to the summer holiday he seemed to be dressing.) The Zippo lighter motif that appeared on jumpers and shirts was apparently a nod to Shannon’s older brother – a fraternal gesture pinning manhood to the helm once again.

Words: Will Ballantyne-Reid