Love Lies Bleeding – A Seriously Attitudinal Label

Love Lies Bleeding - I should have known when the first outfit hit the runway – a black sequined bodice on a short black fitted dress – that this show would be a walk down an ‘80s/early 90s memory lane, and sure enough Love Lies Bleeding gave the audience some wonderful style flashbacks.

This is a seriously attitudinal label and the range’s dressier pieces were dressed right down with opaque tights and trainers (including some smashing ones for boys, black with silver side buckles and silver laces). The fact that dressier pieces even appeared were a testament to the designer’s wish for LLB to be a lifestyle label rather than cater to a narrow niche - “we like to design for lots of different friends” said the girls backstage.

I couldn’t decide whether the influences were punk or new wave or ? - and as it turned out the designers had deliberately shown an overlay of styles. So we saw powder blue washed down denim, tie dye, and futuristic eye makeup – and the three of them worn together. Actually the tie dye was very cool in a jumbo hoodie, and also pleasingly quirky was a drawstring at the hemline of a men’s sweat. There was a black velvet body/sheer shoulder and sleeve top that was very reminiscent of a bodysuit all the slickest girls owned in the ‘80s. I really liked the rock’n’roll humour of a short tux jacket in black and white over a sheer top with skinny jeans – easy and fun.

The collection was also highly transeasonal with lots of lighter weight pieces; again this was deliberate as the girls see an outfit as a collection of many layers. Our conclusion? Love Lies Bleeding may be attitudinal but like its 23- and 24-year old designers it’s fresh-faced and fun.

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