Gareth Pugh's SS13 collection (It's given me scarlet fever)

When I first heard that Gareth Pugh's Spring/Summer 13 collection had seen the London-based designer emerge into a fully fledge 'runway designer', (though I am unsure what that means exactly) I panicked. Not in a 'OMG it's the end of the world as we know it', but a 'Whhhy? why would he do that?!' self indulgent way. My panic stems from the fact that my initial love for Pugh's work was because it felt raw and edgy. Yes, I just used the word edgy.

Ever since the iconic 'rabbit' outfit from the Fall 2006 RTW collection, Pugh has had my attention (lucky him). That very first collection was exactly what I wanted to see as a student - An English eccentric putting something dark and delicious on the catwalk. Everything from the puffed up pom-poms....

to the cascade of gold tinsel that made up this coat....

It all seemed like a dream collection to me. He seemed to rebel against everything my tutors were telling me at the time. I could do exactly what I wanted, no it wasn't too over the top. In comparison, my drawings were minimalist and commercial!

Since then I have always looked forward to seeing what he would come up with next. As a lover of colour it surprised me how much I appreciated the use of black, white and grey shades over the years, with injections of colour - such as the blue in his Fall 2011 RTW collection - being presented like a gift for which I felt truly grateful.

Fast forward to his latest SS13 RTW presentation and I am finding that there is something a little more polished, and dare I say it - commercial - about his pieces.
There is almost a stark minimalism, as seen across many of the shows this season, to some of his pieces, but then almost as soon as that thought entered my head, a cacophony of ruffles and textures sweeps down the catwalk one after the other.

My first viewing left me with mixed emotions, but now I simply can't put into words how much I wish I could buy every garment.

I mean, how often do you see a pair of trouser which ripple into pools around your feet?

Or a neckline which instantly reminds you of Queen Amidala? (sorry, Star Wars reference for all those who aren't geeks).

Not to mention how good these tasselled sleeves would look in my own re-enactment of Michael Jacksons 'Why' video!

Or a bold choice of colour, beautiful cut and layering - balancing out a sharp neckline with billowing hemlines.

(Which has really given me scarlet fever).

And so, panic over.
Whether it's the fact that now I am little older and am ready for some perfectly executed ruffles, or that Pugh hasn't lost whatever 'it' was, I am still a fan.
Hat's off to you sir. *Designer high five*

Images taken from style.com