Florals, flashes of neon-pink, swirling seams, sheer panelling, mohair… and that was just one dress. There is so much going on in a Michael van der Ham creation that it can be tricky keeping up. This season, London’s patchwork prince continued to explore the possibilities of his cleverly pieced-together party dresses comprising collages of clashing prints – many of them vintage fabrics sourced from Liberty’s vast archives (a silk pansy print was particularly pretty). But it was when he loosened things up with a series of sheer and blousy midi-length dresses that it suddenly began to look new. In addition to these were fisherman-ribbed sweaters that were backless with slashed necklines and spliced with mohair and softly draped silk. Van der Ham’s navy finale gown, with oyster crinkled silk-crêpe inserts and a smattering of chunky crystals dripping from one sleeve, was pretty sensational – now all he needs is a budding starlet to premiere it.
