View Gallery

Kaviar Gauche were the second label at the Michalsky StyleNite. The Berlin designer duo are famous for their combination of avant-garde and feminine elegance with a conceptual and (sometimes) functional design. The A/W collection 2010/11 was inspired by Bella Berlin, otherwise known as Inga Königstadt, which involves her dancing around in a mirrored suit as lasers bounce off her, creating a 'living disco ball' effect. Her performance was eye-catching but I somehow doubted that she inspired the whole collection - it almost feels like they made the connection afterwards, rather than before. They claimed the collection inhabits a sort of Future World but to me many of the styles of clothes looked simply old-fashioned. There is so much as too much of a good thing, and endless amounts of sparkling, sequined and glittering materials made the young models look more like Elizabeth Taylor or Liza Minell, as in the current versions, not their heyday. Silhouettes were varied as shoulders kept coming in different variations - some padded and wide, some slender and thin. Sequined over-sized dinner jackets or glittering slinky jackets were paired with statement black leather over-the-knee boots - unfortunately they looked more Wonder Women than high fashion. Model's hair-sprayed, bouffant hair styles and tight-fitting, zippered motorcycle trousers, also added to this "Wonder Women". Finally a pleasant surprise came out in the form of attractive knitwear combined with bouncy feather and chiffon skirts, plus a couple of charming simple jersey or casual cashmere dresses. The collection also hadn't been looked at with an editing eye - at 45-pieces they even outnumbered the overloaded collection by LaLa Berlin. I usually really like the more typical Kaviar Gauche approach, their bags and accessories are always beautifully made. But simply throwing glitter over everything has missed the mark. Hopefully next time they use more of their behavor sources of foresight.