Marques’Almeida makes elegance ‘cool’ with edgy florals at London Fashion Week
The Portuguese design duo proved it’s possible to be both demure and rebellious.
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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
Marques’Almeida’s spring/summer 2025 show displayed an array of the label’s classic uneven hemlines and deconstructed silhouettes – but this time, florals and frills reigned supreme, as their clothes continued to encompass a fun and rebellious verve.
“The collection is an evocative fusion of historic grandeur and rebellious modernity,” said the show notes description. “Drawing on the lavish aesthetic of 17th century Dutch paintings and Baroque influences, the collection transforms these traditional inspirations into something fiercely contemporary.”
Set against the opulent backdrop of St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, the runway’s soundtrack was as blended as the collection – leaping from soft classical to screeching horror music, until eventually descending into heavy dubstep.
This collection was a continuation of the Portuguese design duo’s Resort 2024 collection, with a heavy focus on Elizabethan opulence with jacquard fabrics and lush floral prints, drawing upon the idea of ‘antique’ with raw edges and deconstructed silhouettes.
The designers experimented with heavy brocade fabrics – the kind you might expect to find in antique stores or rockstars’ country manors.
The traditional fabrics were reworked into voluminous two pieces, skirts, and extra wide bell bottoms.
Known for their denim, the designers reinterpreted the heavy cotton through jacquard imprinted jeans and structured corsets.
The eclectic array of footwear – from platform trainers adorned with bows, pointed Croc heels and deep-hued kitten heels – encompassed the contrasting nature of the collection.
Whilst influenced by the 17th century, the collection also brought a Seventies androgyny, with exaggerated flares, romantic ruffles and nipped waists.
The models’ make-up extended Marques’Almeida’s aim to combine rebellious extravagance with refined femininity, with bright bold eyes and soft skin.
“We went for this Seventies pearly eyeshadow,” says the show’s key make-up artist, Terry Barber. “I call it a dodgy Seventies blue – it’s that kind of slightly sick blue that people’s mums might have worn.
“It looks like someone put their thumb in ice-cream and struck it across their eyelids. It’s got a naivety to it.”
Barber intended to keep the shapes almost a little bit clumsy, he explains, to contrast with the clean and light texture of the face. “We’ve chosen to go a little bit more lux with the skin to contrast with the grunginess of the eye. So, I’ve used the MAC Studio Radiance Foundation, which has a glow and a really beautiful coverage to keep the skin refined and polished.
“I then added a whisper of bronzer just on the front of the cheek, so it looks like they’ve just come back from the Mediterranean.”
One of Barber’s hero products for the look was the clear MACximal Sleek Satin Lipstick, which can be used on the brows, cheeks and lips for a subtle glow without looking shiny or sticky. “It’s a lipstick formula with no pigment, which created the perfect balmed lip that’s not super glossy.”
The beauty balanced fun and refinement, which was the aim of Marques’Almeida’s spring/summer collection.
“You learn it all, you dominate it all, and then you can subvert it all,” said the design duo. Their show was heavy with coquettish bows, bold florals and ruffled hems, as Marques’Almeida re-examined traditional femininity by juxtaposing these delicate details with raw denim and heavy leather.
Their show proved that elegance is still possible in a scary modern world.