Opening the second day of London Fashion Week inside Barbican’s Curve Gallery, 16Arlington quickly turned morning to night as guests were invited into a pitch-black show space. For Fw24, Marco Capaldo turned to the work of writer and curator Charlie Fox, dissecting his exhibition My Head is a Haunted House presented at Sadie Coles HQ in 2019. Inviting us to step inside a house of beautiful horrors, Capaldo asked the question: what makes a monster? Often a word associated with an ostracised other, a freak or an outcast, Capaldo turned the word on its head and imbued it with a sense of wonder, ensuring his woman could find comfort in the otherworldly.

Now, don’t be mistaken, there was nothing ugly or grotesque about Capaldo’s offering, instead, the monstrosity was articulated via subversion. As models appeared from the shadows in a series of all-black looks to begin the show, a tension ebbed and flowed between the well-mannered and untamed. Sweeping, sharp-shouldered floor-length coats were met by full-feathered twins while shimmering tinsel collars punctuated tailoring and organza dresses created the perfect optical illusion. Capaldo’s menswear continued to evolve in parallel as fuzzy knits were paired with patent leather pants, sharp grey suiting was accessorised with shirts artfully tied around the neck, and croc-leather bags rivalled the inimitable Kikka.

Melting into hues of white, chartreuse and red, dresses arrived entirely sheer on top, and billowed in streams of tulle from the hip bone, heels were crafted from shearling and Lynchian chevron patterns adorned outwear recalling Twin Peaks‘ surreal Black Lodge. A procession of silver closed the show, glistening under a singular spotlight as the final model appeared in a halter-neck gown. Borrowing the collection title from Madonna – I’m Not Sorry, It’s Human Nature – FW24 saw Marco Capaldo prove that sometimes monsters aren’t scary at all, sometimes they shimmer with delight.