Charles Jeffrey Loverboy Takes Us to The Engine Room for FW23

The Scottish designer makes his Milan runway debut

Charles Jeffrey, the designer known for bringing hints of Scottish heritage into the rave scene of London, has touched down in Milan for his runway debut in the city. The show itself, titled The Engine Room, is largely inspired by multidisciplinary Scottish artist and playwright John Byrne, most notably referencing his 1987 play, The Slab Boys Trilogy. Byrne, a major influence for Jeffrey, is referenced throughout the show, from the inclusion of some of his own personal style codes such as Fair Isle knits and tweed suiting, as well as some of his painted scenes that have been printed onto garments.

Jeffrey has modeled his story after a fictional utopia, where workers of the engine room must continue to feed the furnaces, to keep the floating city in the sky. The story is told in three parts; the Workers who are losing their minds in the monotony of their work, the Posers who have escaped the Engine Room and now act as the utopia’s upper class, and finally the Snakes which are described as, “arch gossip merchants who disseminate the city’s news.”

The opening section, or rather, the Workers, are shown at first by a predominantly gray color palette, think Mary Poppins chimney cleaners with a touch of an edge. The clothing here is protective, from layered suits to steel-toed loafers, yet still manages to contain signature Loverboy oddities, such as a dead raccoon knit scarf or the tiny pebbles that have been used as embellishments on felted caps. Fair Isle knits are fashioned into carryall totes, hooded sweaters, and as accents on footwear. A classic checked print has been seemingly coated in a brown plastic that is used in the creation of a traditional overcoat as well as in a masterfully tiered miniskirt.

What feels most faithful to the signature Charles Jeffrey Loverboy look is presented in the middle of the show with the Posers. Here, John Byrne’s surrealist paintings have been whipped up into fantastical prints that work together with Jeffrey’s classic bold use of color. Metallics and elaborately printed shawls are evocative of a high-brow utopian spirit, while their clawed footwear shows their own prowess over the Workers. What may be the most fabulous piece of the show is a neon orange overcoat with deep royal purple trim and toggle fasteners that employ rocks as closures, echoing the embellishments earlier in the collection. 

The Posers are also the group where Jeffrey fully sends in his love for Scottish tartan. The collection features tartans that have been designed in bright colors with undulating lines, showing off how Jeffrey not only employs the use of tartan in exciting ways, but is also passionate about reimagining the print itself. From skin-tight tops, and tiered pleated skirts, to delightfully protective jackets, Jeffrey proves himself as perhaps the new wave master of tartan with his ever-evolving modern reinvention of the classic textile.

Closing the collection is the Snakes, an eerie name for an equally as haunting portion of the show. Color is almost sucked out of the garments, which are left in black and white with pops of red. Newsprint appears as a calling card of the Snakes’ medium of spreading their malicious gossip. Flyers are posted on the models that read, “CONFIRMED: EARTH IS LAME.” The final three looks of the show seem to almost be crafted out of paper, with their delicate fabrication yet precise forms that made the models appear as delightfully creepy angels of the utopia. 

Charles Jeffrey’s touchdown in Milan was a brilliant display of storytelling on the runway; theatrics are indulged in, drama is essential, and design is never anything less than invigorating. Jeffrey uses his The Engine Room stage to comment on class disparity, through historical referencing, a cast of characters, and a clever understanding of how to use elements of costume in his contemporary designs. This combination of his Scottish heritage, his love for the London underground scene, and his newly set stage in Milan is a cultural combination that is clearly working swimmingly for the designer.

See below to watch the full show:

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