“Look 1 is a really important look,” Nicky explained, “and the more and more we tried it on the girls I could really see how important it was.”
“It’s a botanical floral, and then we took opacity out of it because we wanted to create the florals to look like they were moving on the body so that the print wasn’t stagnant or harsh, it was very sheer and beautiful, and then we put it on an extremely sheer fabric and then did a lot of volume, and we wanted to see it move.”
Of course, as ever, nothing is one-dimensional within Zimmermann’s latest offering, as soft, flowing dresses are layered atop oversized denim or beneath sharp tailoring and a baseball cap. “To be honest, I actually love these [tougher] looks, these are things I wear to work and I love, so I love mixing our femininity with these much cooler pieces.”
This has always been Zimmermann’s sweet spot, its ability to provide just enough dream-like whimsy to satisfy the sartorial fantasy without ever tipping the balance into saccharine realms, but this season’s styling may have been the brand’s strongest yet.
With sheer, pastel knee-high socks and chunky pointed mules off-setting many of the softer looks, unexpected layering combinations and bang-on-trend ballet flats, buyers and editors watching on from the front row couldn’t help but whisper between themselves; forecasting the collection’s inevitable success come Spring.
But what does the brand think of ‘trends’ in general, considering it sticks so loyally to its recognisable aesthetic?
“I’ve never ever used any kind of trend sourcing for work,” admitted Nicky, “I don’t like it, I don’t like the following of it.”
“Obviously there’s a commerciality to what we do and we get to that when we come through to the collection, but I just find it so incredibly important just to be who the brand is, and it is about colour and print and everything [on-trend] might be minimal right now but that won’t ever be us.”
For more from Glamour UK’s Fashion Editor Charlie Teather, follow her on Instagram @charlieteather.