15th Sep 19 | Beauty

Prudence Wade reviews the sequin-obsessed designer Ashish Guptas spring/summer 2020 collection.

Ashish catwalk shows tend to be one of the biggest parties of London Fashion Week, full of disco vibes and lots of sparkles.

Sequins, clashing patterns and bright colours still made up much of creative director Ashish Guptas latest show, but it definitely felt more subdued than previous seasons.

Gone were the tongue-in-cheek slogan clothes from previous collections, replaced with a more reflective collection quite literally, as many of the outfits were covered in tiny circular mirrors.

It seems the designer showcased something of a spiritual awakening, too.

According to singer Ella Eyres Instagram Stories, model Neelam Gill walked the runway holding a branch of palo santo aloft a type of wood popularly used in South America for ceremonial purposes, as its believed to have healing properties.

Gill was fitted out in a long, almost religious-looking robe but as this is still Ashish were talking about, it was fuchsia and covered in sparkles.

The show notes also featured a quote attributed to the controversial Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh saying: A little foolishness, enough to enjoy life, and a little wisdom to avoid errors, that will do. You might recognise the Indian spiritual leader, otherwise known as Osho, from Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country.

The show held in the art deco Seymour Hall in London also saw a mini concert of musicians playing soft wind chimes, bells and conch shells.

The clothes themselves had a Sixties flower power vibe, with some models wearing actual flowers in their hair. But dont think this is a hippy collection theres always an edge with Ashish, and the beauty look by Isamaya Ffrench involved eyes heavily ringed with kohl. Hair by Sam McKnight opted for messy braids and the occasional pop of colour.

Billy Porter, Ella Eyre and Paloma Faith all appeared on the front row. Pose actor Porter is always one to watch on the red carpet he most famously wore a Christian Siriano tuxedo gown to this years Oscars so hopefully well see him in one of Ashishs latest designs soon.

It feels like something of a new era for Gupta; more pared back and contemplative. Luckily, the colourful, sparkly essence of the brand remains, but it certainly feels like Ashish is delving further into the spiritual than the meme-able than ever before.

Press Association 2019

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London Fashion Week: Sparkles and spiritualism were high on the agenda at Ashish - Fashion from Xpos - Virgin Media Television -...