London Fashion Week AW17: Charlotte Olympia whisks guests to the cinema for a glam homage to film noir

A victim, a detective and a shoe-centric murder. It could only be the backstory to Charlotte Olympia’s AW17 collection.

Presented in the form of a short film, the designer invited her guests to the Curzon Mayfair cinema via a classic movie ticket.

Titled An Accessory to Murder, the production featured Charlotte herself along with personifications of her favourite shoe designs. Starry attendees including the designer’s sister Alice Dellal, photographer Ellen von Unwerth and Olivia Palermo were treated to champagne and popcorn before witnessing the dramatic murder story.

The cinema foyer housed the actual collection which followed the same film noir style. Lines from infamous actresses including Lauren Bacall emblazoned heeled pumps while lace-up styles straight from the 1940s appeared in the most sumptuous of reds.

A stand-out graphic featuring a woman smoking a cigarette appeared on glamorous knee-high boots and box clutches. Designed in collaboration with artist Poppy Chancellor, they were naturally inspired by a vintage movie poster.

Characters from the film could be seen in the shoes with details from the detective’s rain mac appearing on Perspex brogues. Houndstooth was also a huge staple, covering super high platforms and the designer’s signature kitty bags.

“I’ve always been into film noir,” Olympia commented. “My brand comes from that silver screen era – I grew up watching those movies.”

With the designer’s fun brand a staple in eclectic celebrity wardrobes, this ultimate Hollywood fantasy could well be the ticket to more and more sales.

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