Art: Glenn Sandoval

Nancy Cunard, the 1920s cruising heiress, seems an obtuse muse for Erdem Moralioglu’s Pre-Fall 2020 season. Shown in June this year at the height of the pandemic outbreak, the collection was also not particularly frugal or reserved, given the climate. However, as Moralioglu pointed out, he designed this range of splendidly era-firm neck-to-knees a year ago, well before the world changed around him. His fascination with Ms. Cunard was in part out of lust for her formidable style but even more so due to her groundbreaking dedication to breaking injustice, fighting fascism and ending racism. In his presser, Moralioglu explained Cunard was “defined by her principles, not just her privilege.” The collection of neo-Baroque glamour features silk satin gowns so desirable, it’s a crime that this year’s red carpets have been so limited as to not see them on center stage. And its final look, while a deviation from Cunard’s somewhat razor-edged attire, was a romantic lilac trapeze sparsely adorned with beaded wildflowers – a sentiment, perhaps, to exactly what the heiress, writer and activist was all about.

This is Erdem Annetta’s new work of art.

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