With a nod to the preppy perfection of the tennis court, Lonely Hearts spring/summer 2010 melds fresh- faced innocence with coming-of-age teenage rebellion. It’s a good girl turning bad – sneaking out for a cigarette during tennis practice, her bad boy’s leather jacket slung over her crisp, white tennis dress.
Tones are clean and fresh - whites with pale pastels and cream with blue. Club blazers are cropped and emblazoned with an embroidered crest, shorts are twee and geeky and pants are high and pleated. Dresses are reminiscent of the golden age of tennis dressing – think Chris Everett with a little Steffi Graff pep – tiered, pleated and short.
Sporty practice shorts, racer back tops and stretch mesh detailing make an appearance, and shapes are easy fitting – dresses are A-line with fitted tops and full, flirty skirts.
Interspersed throughout all this country club freshness are classic Lonely Hearts forms. Rebellious dresses and separates come in hyperactive, peppy prints – paint splatter viscose, a custom acid tie dye on chambray denim - all inspired by the animal drawings of Alan Aldridge and Jan Svankmajer's 1988 surrealist film Alice. Schoolgirl checks and pretty florals add a girlish touch, referencing Lonely Hearts' signature masculine/feminine clash.
The classic country club navy is highlighted with sheer taupe and nude tones. Leather makes itself known in workout shorts and a short club blazer. While complex detailing is more prevalent than previous seasons, the collection has a confident, more minimal feel.
New Zealand based artist Kelly Thompson's freaky reworkings of the classic crest and crocodile logo are embroidered on chest pockets and grace paperwork - dapper subversions of the trappings of scrubbed-clean wealth.
