David Dixon Fall 2015: See every black-on-black look from the designer’s 20th anniversary collection

Date March 25, 2015

David Dixon knows glamour. After 20 years in the biz and 40+ collections, the Canadian designer has built his name on elegant day and eveningwear. He is the homegrown master of the feminine silhouette; long before Moschino’s Jeremy Scott showed Barbie-pink creations on the runway, Dixon was designing ultra-girly frocks inspired by the iconic doll for a capsule collection with Mattel at Hudson’s Bay back in 2009.

For fall 2015 he cut out all the sugar. Referencing Joan of Arc, there was an empowering strictness to his collection that felt fresh and modern. Leather corsets and bustiers cinched coats and dresses like armour and there was a noticeable absence of colour. “The silhouettes are stronger and sexier for me,” said Dixon, backstage before the show. “It still feels romantic and feminine with a bit of an edge.”

Black ruled on the runway but there were a few cracks of light. Of the latter, a perfectly tailored pair of white pants stood out for all the right reasons. Industrial elements like clasps and grommets added a hard edge to some of the ladylike pieces, while embellishment focused on sprays of dark sequins, which included leather versions, too.

Shredded chiffon—one of Dixon’s signatures—was also prominent throughout the collection, while Rita Tesolin’s chunky chain mail-inspired jewellery hung from necks and wrists. Every heroine needs a floor-sweeping gown with an entrance-making cape and Dixon delivered the goods before taking to the runway for his bow. It was a bold move to show one noir look after the other, but somehow it felt magical rather than melancholic. Like outer space, there is beauty in the darkness waiting to be discovered.