Bella Freud Takes on the Sartorial Codes of ‘American Psycho’
LONDON — The first drop of Bella Freud’s fall 2024 collection, titled The Art of Dressing, is a nod to filmmaking and its nuances.
The British fashion designer worked with Michael Clark, the famed Scottish dancer and choreographer, on a film, from which stills were taken out from each scene and look to make up the series of images in the look book.
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“When our model Lucan Gillespie walked into the room, Michael lined up the beat on which she turned and the music — there was a tiny repertoire when he was directing and the whole room lit up,” Freud said in an interview.
The collection was shot in the designer’s charming West London home, which almost feels like a film set for her life’s journey so far with books stacked on a red leather sofa; pieces of art still unhung on the floor, and postcards, letters and printed photos taped or sitting loosely by the window in the kitchen.
In the lead up to the collection, Freud had been rewatching “American Psycho” and analyzing the clothes that are “markers of [the characters] statement” in the film.
She borrowed from the film’s stylish corporate color palette of soft pinks, the iridescence of mother-of-pearl and the pinstripes. A silk shirt is paired with a structured chocolate brown suit with a glimmer of a gold belt buckle; a gray three-piece suit with a pointed collar that looks as if it was borrowed from Tony Montana’s wardrobe in “Scarface”; a sheer polka-dot pussy-bow blouse that’s both suggestive and delicate.
In true Freud fashion, there’s also the fun, pop slogan sweaters that say “Slave to Love,” “Martin,” “Candy Darling,” “Ol’ Blue Eyes,” “Doll Boy,” “Starman” and more.
“I think about Andy Warhol quite a lot when I’m making T-shirts and sweaters — the kind of nihilistic vibe and how it’s so meaningful. I want to create something that people can find a way to use for themselves. It’s not a directive and sometimes I revert back to David Bowie quite often, that’s where the ‘Starman’ is from,” she said.
The “Starman” sweater has a deeper meaning for Freud. “‘Starman’ is like an angel falling from the sky — I feel very invested in the idea of anyone who is like that. There’s so much awfulness that we need angelic behavior and beings to keep our spirits up,” she said.
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