A La Disposition’s Mechanical Failure

Written by Phoebe Fisher. Photography by Lin Vitali.

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

A La Disposition is known for its theatrical shows and radical silhouettes crossing boundaries of the wearable and outrageous. Therefore I had high expectations for their latest Spring/Summer 2012 collection, I wasn’t disappointed but admittedly I also wasn't wowed.

There were elements of drama seen in their pantaloon style trousers and finale dress but the show was over within 7 minutes and I was left wanting more costume-like pieces and less of the commercial garments, which A La Disposition appeared to be exploring.

The theme was 'Mechanical Failure' and this was mainly explored through the soundtrack; besides the intricate mathematical tailoring of shirts with extremely complicated overlaps, panelling and cut outs the overall look seemed a little more Victorian equestrian rather than machinery breakdown.

However, what did impress was the juxtaposition of very controlled rigidly designed fitted shirts teamed with tailored jodhpurs, which held movement and volume through triangular fan-like pleats, which stood on point. The finale dress also stood out as holding the wow factor - a olive-green dress with a zip on voluminous ruff that was wrapped around and cocooned the body.

A La Disposition SS12 'Mechanical Failure' finale dress with a zip-on voluminous ruff wrapped around the body.

A La Disposition showcased an interesting collection with some fantastic styling (models' hair was braided into chunky necklaces) and moments of excitement, but for such a dramatic pairing Spring/Summer 2012 seemed a lot more restrained than previous collections.