Costume Or High Fashion?

London Fashion Week, more than New York, Milan, or Paris, is a place where crazy fashion gets showcased and appreciated. Yesterday’s shows were no exception. While it didn’t have the star power present at Burberry, Katie Eary’s menswear collection was pretty special. Keep reading to find out why.

Eary, who graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2008, says on her website that classic men’s tailoring is her passion. “Menswear tailoring is more fun to play with! I believe that men invented ‘feminism’ but disguised this word as dandy or fop.” It shouldn’t be too surprising, then, that we noticed several formerly female trends in her spring 2010 collection, which “explores the inner decay of the human body and its twisted beauty,” according to a press release. Present were a gling like the one Beyoncé has been so fond of wearing, tights and shirts covered in bone and vein images, and “Where the Wild Things Are”-style masks.

Oh, and if you think Eary’s stuff is pure costume, you’re not quite right. The googly-eye glasses didn’t come from Fun-Ghoul Costume Co.; they’re a collaboration with luxury eyewear designer Linda Farrow. And, yes, crazy dresser Lady Gaga has worn Eary’s clothes, but so have Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, and Daria Werbowy.