16Arlington: How The Great British Trailblazers are Redefining the Runway
Ruby Tanner looks at how 16Arlington are changing the British runway through glam-rock partywear.
The Great British fashion scene is not only growing, but flourishing, and the brightest in this garden of English roses has to be 16Arlington. The London based luxury fashion house was founded in just 2017, and has since made bold statements season after season with its glamorous womenswear and influence on contemporary trends. Born in the founders flat just west of the capital, Capaldo and Cavenati began lending clothes to friends and taking on small orders, but in true legendary style, it wasn’t long before the brand attracted attention from global stockists. With that, and the custom of celebrities like Lady Gaga (her luminous pink silk ensemble drawing the attention of publications and media far beyond London), it was set: 16Arlington became the new trailblazers in British luxury fashion.
Harper’s BAZAAR describes the brand as ‘maker of the it girl uniform’, and I can’t disagree. From suit tailoring to gowns, 16Arlington has perfected the art of design for the contemporary woman. One collection worth dually noting and celebrating is autumn/winter 2024: the first collection designed following the sudden death of founder Cavenati was something of an artistic rendition to his experience of grief, with Capaldo re-defining the identity of the brand on a solo venture after years of duet designing. There was a feeling that he set out to develop darkness and intensity throughout the collection with the past emphasis on sparkle, sequin, feather and crystal, something more of an underlying motif than a digression from the very details of the illusionary show. After all, it took until look 8 of the show for the looks to divert from black, and output a stream of colour. It has to be said, grief in this case, was worn wonderfully well. Sheer dresses exposed fragile female figures, hung in protection over the bones of their model, provided by structure from tulle skirts. This monotone theme extended into more casual looks, especially successful for a cashmere jumper, tied as a scarf over a plain charcoal suit jacket. The inspiration for the autumn/winter show being monsters, it perhaps would be appropriate to understand the unique presentation of the jumper as a suggestion to the fact that there’s no limits to the function of the human body, especially when its dressed in 16Arlington. The collection was equally characterised by oversized fur coats, sheer bodice gowns and animal printed leather trousers. The shows development undoubtedly reflects Capaldo’s grapple with grief, emerging with a dulled colour scheme, looks blowing into the bleak winds of winter essentials. But as the runway continued there was a bloom in colour and texture; purples, greens, metallics and even croc print bursting onto in bounds of optimism. This show stood as an analogy for not only Capaldo himself, but the future of 16Arlington: with fashion ambition in a space where practicality and whimsy meet, hope is possible.
Fast-forward to present day, and the brand has launched a collaboration with Anthony Price, known for his groundbreaking designs inspired by rock culture and musical legends. More than a show, the collaboration was something of a pop-culture phenomenon for the musically-inspired and celebrity-aware, creating a moment which felt like fashion in its most performative state. The collection was simply titled ‘16-looks’, interestingly conceived of made to order capsule pieces which celebrated the intimate, exclusive feel of the collection. Models ranged from Paloma Elsesser, to Adwoa Aboah, (all 21st century IT girls, all belonging to the close inner circle of Capaldo himself). The show delivered timeless glamour with a side of contemporary personality, with features of dark velvet gowns, corsets and cloaks, feathered mini dresses, high neck leather jackets, all served neatly on a platter with feminine silhouettes and classic necklines to match. Price certainly designed true to his glam-rock reputation, but this collaboration capsule collection felt something of a bridge between vintage grunge and contemporary event wear.
But, all eyes were on Lily Allen, emerging from the pits of a media frenzied divorce followed by the launch of her album ‘West End Girl’, as she sauntered down the runway in a midnight blue velvet gown. I’ll admit, as a lover of 16Arlington, this was not the most groundbreaking of looks. The padded hips made the singer-come-models torso look stunted, the split in the skirt landed awkwardly in the middle of her thighs suggestive of an actual lily flower, however these petals drooped to reveal a lime green, silk interior lining. But there was something about her french twist hairdo, paired with breathy tokes from a burning cigarette that provoked an unusual sense of drama: was I watching a runway show, or something far more conceptually fascinating? There’s something about Allen’s demeanour on the runway, her dark allure that seemed to suggest this 16Arlington collection was bringing a new sense of sexy to the party season.
There is high demand for this limited ‘16-looks’ collection, amplified by the feeling that to wear 16Arlington X Antony Price is to wear a fragment of performance itself. After all, party season is wrapped in drama, instead of standing idly and witnessing it, we may as well wear it.
Words by Ruby Tanner