Twenty8Twelve’s first season without Sienna and Savannah Miller at the helm saw a very different presentation from the crowded catwalk venues. The autumn/winter 2012 collection, “Faceless Featured Future” was presented as an instillation and film that was shown on multiple screens. Opting out of a catwalk show was risky move for the brand, considering the departure of the Miller sisters, but the collection was a rich and emphatic continuation of Twenty8Twelve’s signature style designed by newcomer Elsa Elphick.

Influenced by London in the 1960s, the voyeur explored a murky Londontown scene. In the film, three muses moved through a smoky and shadowy landscape, creating a moody and mysterious backdrop to the collection. With 60’s dresses still dominating fashion, Twenty8Twelve brought us baby-doll shapes and loose fittings equivocal with the hedonism movement. A vibrant colour palette of fuchsia, electric blue, soft pastels, shades of grey and inky blue dominated the collection. There was also a whimsy twist of electric blue leopard print.

Standouts in this collection were the pastel pink and powder blue Aran style knits, and the very English tailored garments. The delicate, clean lined coats and fitted trousers were a real homage to London’s famed tailoring houses in the 60s. Twenty8Twelve transposed the mood and style of the 60s, and created looks that will suit the femme fatale as well as the modish androgen.

The collection’s inspiration came from a quote: “For months and months I was with [her] all the time, except between four in the morning and four in the afternoon, when she slept. She very much liked to have a shadow…” – Ed van der Elsken, ‘Love on the Left Bank’.