All hail King Charles [Jeffrey LOVERBOY]! – THE FACE
Mon 19 Jun
Charles Jeffrey’s sophomore show in Milan, this was a pivotal moment for the CSM-taught Scotsman, who made his name in the Old Smoke’s queer club scene.
Harking back to England’s Carolean era of King Charles II (1660 – 1685), Jeffrey’s collection served as a playful retort to the monarchism our wretched archipelago tends to enforce. Rather than opting for takes on the current monarch’s preppy sprezzatura looks, Jeffrey instead toyed with old costume, white powdered faces and ruffled collars, modernising them with Loverboy codes.
Indeed, the usual Tartan came in droves, splashing armoured armlets, gauntlet gloves, kilted jester suits and transparent PVC-coated skorts. Despite the make-believe theme, it felt politically charged, providing a fantastic reclamation of Britishness on Jeffrey’s own terms.