It’s almost Friday. You know what that means? THOWBACK THURSDAY. Because rockstar designer Mary Katrantzou just won the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund (the British version of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund), I think she deserves the spotlight today. Don’t you?
I’ve been fascinated with Mary Katrantzou for quite some time now. Not only because I love British designers (although she’s actually from Greece and just so happens to reside in London) but her aesthetic is beyond unique. Just when you think you’re going to see more digital prints (her signature)…BAM! She throws these crazy silhouettes and / or textures at you that you never expected. She continues to wow us season after season, so it’s no wonder she’s this year’s recipient of such a prestigious award. So now it’s time to throw it back this Thursday and take a look at Mary Katrantzou’s first collection, all the way up to her latest.
Fall 2009 was Mary’s debut runway collection. I used to think these designs were truly amazing when I first saw them, but when you see her evolution over the years…it only gets better from here. Side note, scoring Jourdan Dunn for your first runway show is pretty impressive, no?
For Spring 2010, Mary begins to experiment with other silhouettes. Still killing it with the prints, but when it comes to shapes, you haven’t seen anything yet.
You can tell now, with the Fall 2010 collection, Mary is becoming even more comfortable with trying out different silhouettes.
Spring 2011 is when I really first started to notice MK (it’s no surprise, as Spring ’11 was such a great season) because I was blown away by her use of interiors as inspiration for this collection. If you’re looking to re-do your living room, who needs Pinterest when you have Mary Katrantzou SS11?
For Fall 2011 we start to see more rounded silhouettes — with shoulders, skirts/ peplum, etc. Also my favorite…dress with pants.
Mary is never shy when it comes to prints and colors but she really took it to the next level for Spring 2012. Perhaps her most vibrant collection to date. It didn’t stop with the clothes…check out those lips!
Moving from peplum and hourglass shapes to focusing on embroidery and embellishments, yet again…Mary always seems to surprise us.
Although pretty much everything Mary Katrantzou does impresses me, taking inspiration from travel (specifically things like stamps and currency from other countries) and turning into THIS for Spring 2013 is just so fucking awesome. What was even better about this collection is that if you can’t afford Mary prices (which many of us cannot…those insane details don’t come cheap!) she collaborated with Current / Elliott and it was basically SS13 for less!
From the queen of color to the queen of darkness, yet again she switches things up for Fall 2013. It seems like Mary shifts her focus from season to season on prints vs. silhouettes. This season was all about the silhouette.
Resort 2014 was Mary’s first taste at resort season. It’s basically a less complex version of what she already does (still crazy prints but not as intricate when it comes to detail and technique).
Another instance where you’re like that’s your inspiration? For Spring 2014, Mary Katrantzou took details from various shoes and blew them up into large prints for her collection. Also perhaps the inspiration behind her Adidas collaboration?
For Fall 2014, Mary took a break from digital prints and focused on symbols. Again, a much darker collection for her. But it is fall after all!
Remember that little romper Taylor Swift wore to the VMAs last year? That was from this Resort ’15 collection (but modified). Different from the last Resort season, this one was all about detail — super intricate lace and letter embroidery. If this is Mary’s way of storytelling, I want a whole book.
Spring 2015 (in stores now) was all about texture. I do miss the digital prints (as that’s what made me fall for Mary in the first place and it is what she’s known for) but I do appreciate when she switches it up. Always keeps us on our toes, that’s for sure.
There’s a first time for everything…and Mary’s first Pre-Fall just happened this year for 2015. She designed this with no specific theme in mind, which is shocking considering her other collections have such specific inspiration. But hey…it seems to be working for her.
And last but not least, the newest Mary Katrantzou collection — Fall 2015 that debuted in London just last month. Not only was this a texture-focused collection, but she used materials we haven’t seen from her before like plastic, fur and rubber. It’s almost like the models are walking on foam legos…and wearing them too.
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When I do these types of posts I typically skip over a few collections that aren’t as important or memorable, but because Mary Katrantzou hasn’t been around for that long and every collection is worth talking about, I just had to share it all! And we can’t forget about these new clutches she debuted for Resort ’15. If you have an M, A, R or Y initial (and an unlimited budget), then you’re in luck.
Do you have any favorite collections or collaborations from Mary Katrantzou? If you still can’t get enough of her insanely amazing prints, you can shop some of my favorites below (including a few of her collaborative pieces!)
Images via Vogue & Style.com
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