The past three seasons have seen 16Arlington revel in the macabre, presenting collections inspired by monsters and the oeuvre of David Lynch, but for SS25 Marco Capaldo returned to the shimmers, sparkles and sequins for which the cult London brand has become best known. Staged inside The Royal Academy of Arts, the white cubed space was bathed in sunset lighting which bounced off a series of floral sculptures by British artist Jesse Pollock standing tall in the centre of the runway. Underfoot, 230kg of white biodegradable confetti bathed the runway, flitting in the air as models walked to Boy George’s Generations of Love.

Titled The Heat, this season saw a lightness return to Capaldo’s design language with the introduction of loosely cut silhouettes, delicate barely-there fabrics and playful proportions. Dresses languidly clung to the body in all the right places, draped across models’ figures so they appeared to be gliding down the runway, decorated with intricate beading, blooming with feathers or crystal hand-embellishment. An air of ease was built from shirts constructed to appear unbuttoned and sheer tanks paired with suede trousers, while a more sultry side to 16Arlington’s woman paired oversized fur coats with tiny hot pants. On foot, heels sprouted with feathers or laced up models’ ankles as slouchy bags in snake print or chocolate suede were carried nonchalantly under the arm, and Jesse Pollock’s artworks were reimagined as metal corsages to be worn on the wrist. Sunny hues of yellows, pale greens, oranges and pinks melted into dark browns, greys and black as the show came to a close with a series of monochromatic looks, sending Capaldo’s woman off into the night.