Rave it up
Lou Dalton SS16 Preview: The designer looks to Factory Records, club kids and the Happy Mondays
Top image: Clubbers at The Haçienda in 1989 © Alamy
Timeless functionality forms the lynchpin of Lou Dalton’s work. Born into a rural background her West Midlands heritage is evident in her utilitarian detailing and textured layers – look no further than her FW15 collection, featuring fitted gillets and thick fleece jackets. Dalton’s work comes laced with poetic narratives; from rugged nomads to aviation DNA, Dalton creates with a tale in mind. This season her gaze turns inwards, towards a time of self contentment and discovery when she was figuring out her own path, and what better soundtrack to youthful optimism than Happy Mondays in full flow.
Happy Mondays
Lou Dalton SS16
“Euphoria, an intense state of transcendent happiness combined with an overwhelming sense of contentment,” says Dalton of the collection. “…1988 – Factory Records; Massimo Osti, circa. 1988; The Happy Mondays, Wrote for Luck, off their first album, Bummed.”
“I always pull on my past – family history, often. This season was again driven by that and at a time I felt most content, when I was on the road to discovery, if you like.
It just felt right for that time. I like my men to look like proper men and well put-together. The men I’m most inspired by are those who consider what they wear and how they dress for themselves and not for another. Showing one’s sensitive side gives an air of vulnerability, which is incredibly sexy.”