Pieter collection presentation A/W 2016 for LCM

For designer Sebastiaan Pieter, this season began with a photograph. Taken in 1979, Robert Mapplethorpe’s Bryan Ridley and Lyle Heeter depicts two men in a questionably decorated, yet unremarkable, living room. Both are dressed entirely in leather – one man stands, holding the end of a chain that is connected to the leather collar around the neck of the other man, who sits in a standard armchair.  

It is the interplay between the conventional and the subversive epitomised by this photograph that serves as the basis for Pieter’s collection. This is an idea most obviously communicated through the stark contrasts of light and shade that inform the colour palette. The dark grey and black outerwear offsets the white and cream shirts, with pops of scarlet and accents of burgundy and dark green lifting the monochrome base.

Such a striking palette only seemed to elevate the impact of Pieter’s beautifully sculptural designs. The outerwear was a particular highlight, the structured bomber jackets and neatly tailored overcoats pairing perfectly with the slim-leg trousers and classic jerseys. Everything was irresistibly sleek and well-constructed, finding the perfect balance between good old-fashioned tailoring and contemporary activewear.   

All of this was seamlessly infused with references to gay culture, as in the case of the monochrome “HH” t-shirts, and in a scarlet sweater boldly emblazoned with the word “CRUISE”.

An abundance of zips and pockets provide the only other details, aside from leather straps that wrapped tightly around the arms of many of the sweaters or jackets – a clear reference to the chains and collar in Mapplethorpe’s photograph.

Indeed, this Japanese leather, juxtaposed as it was with cotton poplin and Italian wool flannel, was in itself a nod to Mapplethorpe’s own distinctive clothing style. A complex collection that managed to feel effortless; and that’s the best combination of all.

Grace Cain