The Lou Dalton Spring Summer 2012 collection finds inspiration from two seemingly contrasting principal sources; the harshness and desperation of the 1984 Miners’ Strike, and Matthew Bourne’s menacing male ensemble in Swan Lake. Yet both are symbolic struggles, whether it be the demise of the National
Union of Miners, or the rise of the swan.
The colour palette carries these influences heavily; black, navy, camel and cream combine with flashes of shot orange and emerald green stemming from the picket line melees. Conversely, other pieces are more subtle and in keeping with the Ashington Group’s portrayal of colliery life.
The garments embrace their contrast in inspirations blending hard-wearing denim and Macintosh with delicate silk, cotton voile, and cotton anglais. The principal themes are also executed through bold prints drawing on the rawness of wood cut prints by the Pittman painters, to the finesse and decadence of crystal embellishments. Most dramatically heavily frayed denim has been used to emulate Bourne’s ballet.
