Mulberry Spring 2014 Runway Review

Emma Hill’s final show as creative director for Mulberry combined everything we’ve loved about her design aesthetic for the Spring 2014 Collection. The looks were girlish and ladylike with excellent use of prints, as always.

I loved the first print to come down the runway, a black and white brocade floral which was used on jackets, skirts and dresses alike. The brocade had a stiff, off-the-body look which resulted in waists that were either dramatically emphasized, almost created out of the fabric independent of the body, or totally obscured in an A-line top.

Other fabrics, while still slightly loose and away from the body, revealed the figure in a very sophisticated, feminine way. There were wide horizontal tone-on-tone stripes achieved with different textures like sheer panels and leather. Overall silhouettes were very sculptural with quite beautiful lines.

The other major print was much more colorful and pop-art inspired. A red, coral, orange, black floral started out rather abstract but came together with big bold flowers on some pieces. The requisite all-white looks for Spring 2014 were rendered successfully here as well. The looks were a bit “the daughters of the ladies who lunch.”

On that note it’s worth saying that there was a bit less of the English countryside vibe we’ve gotten from Hill in the past. This was very much the collection for the London girl. We’ll see where Mulberry heads next under new direction.