AN incredible corridor of rotating, ceiling-high mirrors, which splashed the floor with marbled light, provided the setting for the Raf Simons autumn/winter 2009-10 show. It was an extravagant, slightly dizzying scene, which made it all the more surprising when the first few looks turned out to be sober, conservatively cut suits in grey pinstripe.
This low-key beginning was momentarily worrying – it seemed a need to play safe had overcome Simons' honed sense of Antwerpian contrariness. Thankfully, though, he soon started twisting at this template, introducing jarringly sporty trainers into the picture and creating clashes of texture with contrasting wetsuit sleeves on blazers and coats.
As the looks progressed, this use of neoprene became wilder, with large white panels engulfing the backs of jackets and a range of brightly coloured boleros creating a varied, broad shouldered silhouette. These futuristic, armoured pieces were part of an ongoing exploration of shapes on the torso, which resulted in knits with wide bands around the shoulders and a sturdy looking girdle that hugged the body from hips to ribs.