Polly Rogers, Fashion Editor, transports us back to the runway at Dublin Independent Fashion Week, guiding us through Aishling Duffy's section of the show, and reading deeper into what these pieces and this performance evoked.
Aishling Duffy left us wanting more at Dublin Independent Fashion Week, the central of three acts that created the performance of Becoming, themed around myths. Duffy’s display was a burst of femininity and rebellion - the performance felt reminiscent of teenage attitude, while the pieces stirred an internal lost memory of innocent adolescence, girlhood and Y2K nostalgia. This show, big and bold, was a fever dream. A regurgitation of so many things, from pillows and stuffed toys, to ballerinas and ponies. Aishling Duffy's style is chaotic, but cohesive, all these elements work together to create a baggy, dramatic frilly fusion of feminine energy and punky liberation.
Slumber party is a phrase that jumps to mind when trying to place and summarise this act of Becoming. It felt as if these women were rebelling against the oversexualisation of female bodies through an embrace of their childhood selves. Many models clutched pillows and stuffed toys, while others had teddy bears hung from chains, which added to the bedtime theme, alongside dresses resembling nightgowns. The materials creating these designs seem ever familiar to blankets, sheets, curtains, rugs and sofas we would have seen in most homes throughout our youth. Certain designs that stuck out were that of ponies, kittens, dolphins, stars, hearts and butterflies. Any prominent graphic was usually paired with net or lace - one piece featuring a tiger's face upon the main bodice had a scintillating skirt of glittery black, paired with a pink bow choker. All these fabulous garments, bedazzled with diamontes, felt like childhood artwork covered with stickers and rhinestones, drizzled with glitter glue by an overzealous crafter.
At times, oversized baggy silhouettes hide the frames of the models - it feels as if the household fabrics that have been repurposed into these garments are encapsulating them, creating a protective barrier around these models, similar to the comfort of your childhood home - hiding them from the eyes of those looking to perceive their figures. While baggy, fluidity and movement of the fabric was excellent, the pieces bounced and manoeuvred alongside the models strutting with defiance. No pieces in this collection were any way revealing, except for notably one piece - one dress, while a similar cut to others seen, differed in how it was sheer net, exposing a black underwear set. This feels as though it was an intentional defiant statement of femininity.
The colour scheme varied from pastels, pinks, yellows and blues, to deep oranges, dark blues and backs. The contrast and cohesion compelled these pieces together. Pops of neon scattered in form of accessories, hairclips dotted throughout the models' hair, were placed sporadically but intentionally. Plastic sunglasses evoked reminiscence on those princess heels that never quite worked or fit. Jewellery was plastic and chunky, echoing the image of free gifts with junk magazines, large silver cheap charms, and key ring frames paired with multi-coloured beads adorned necks throughout the runway. Badges carrying the iconic Aishling Duffy iconography bursted across Peter Pan collars. Socks seemed as they were borrowed from your father, overlarge and office style design.
Personally, Aishling Duffy was undoubtedly my favourite designer of Dublin Independent Fashion Week. Every element of this act had me enthralled, observing every detail of these exuberant glittery pieces as quickly as possible before the models strutted off. This show evoked such strong feelings of nostalgia. These designs are unmistakingly that of Aishling Duffy's creation - the brand she has grown has such a distinct aesthetic: fem and funky, echoing daydreams and days spent dressing up.