Ashley Williams A/W19 - original photos

Power Nap – eclectic, granny chic.

Ashley Williams was the last show on the first day of LFW for me and it was a definite highlight. Queuing for what felt like ages was worth it because the show felt like an underground, metaphorically and literally, ordeal that only the coolest people in London knew about. In reality, of course, I was there which of course meant none of that could be applied but still, it felt that way and I choose to hold on to that.

Continuing her successful designing for London’s “cool” girls, Ashley Williams took to the most ancient object of worship known to man (and woman, and whoever lies in-between) for inspiration: the male genitalia. More specifically, the sperm. The designer wanked her wand and jizz went everywhere; the opening look worn by Adwoa Aboah? A black fleece with sperm printed all over it. Later on, more sperm on scarves, on satin ballgowns and on tie-dye t-shirts because if you don’t put sperm on a typically childlike piece of clothing, you’re not doing it right. Right? Ah, let’s not think about it too much.

However, you also got party dresses, pastel tights paired with Jimmy Choos, heads covered in the infamous sparkly hair clips, fluffy sweaters and pussycats on cardigans. Basically, a chic granny going to a party with her fun, laid-back, come what may attitude. However, one can also see the 90s skater girl who loves fashion and glamour peak through as well; In the colourblock fleeces, the neon kilts and that strapless top with a cat on it that said “Don’t Know, Don’t Care”. Because graphic strapless tops with phrases that allude to teenage angst only scream 90s realness. I stand by that statement, and I bet you Ashley Williams does too.

Some looks that definitely stood out for me were the puffy-sleeved, yellow cat dress paired with bright red tights, because not only did it have cats printed all over it, it also emulated Cat-Lady, even if you ignored the myriad of cats. That’s how strong those puffy sleeves were. Not forgetting the leopard print dresses and cardis both in wool and satin, another standout look was the bright orange, fuzzy cardi paired with a satin pencil skirt with sperm and a horse’s head printed on it. Because that’s the epitome of innovative graphic design in my humble opinion. The styling by Danny Reed and Danielle Emerson had small subtleties of Scandi Chic which helped elevate the collection, taking it away from the idea that it’s childish or just something to laugh at.

All in all, Ashley Williams presented yet another fun collection with solid, wearable pieces and the odd, edgy ones that still somehow urge you to put them on; like the baby devil printed pink tights that I hope I can snag one day. It was fun, not too loud but loud enough and eccentric in the ways everyone can understand and access. It wasn’t an inaccessibly cool collection and for me, that was the best part of it.