In Video: Gareth Pugh Spring/Summer 2011

Directored by Ruth Hogben's 11+ minute film for Gareth Pugh Spring/Summer 2010, from SHOWstudio. It was presented in lieu of a traditional fashion show this season. As word got out that the show would consist of a film presentation instead of a catwalk show, any murmurings of disappointment quickly turned to awe once the premiere was underway. The iconic Kristen McMenamy embodied this season's slick distillation of what we have to know Pugh for - optical prints, unexpected fabrics such as neoprene-backed jersey, rubbersied PVC and dramatic shapes - and with her own natural movement, jerked the film about in a pace that suited the sharpness of the collection. The textures and shapes of the clothes were impressively distorted and pushed to their limit with the help of McMenamy's extraordinary movement and verve in the film as well as Hogben's play with light. The trick was for the film to act as a conceptual piece in addition to showcasing the clothes as a running, fully visible lookbook and with both boxes filled, Pugh gets the upperhand in paving the way for fashion film as a conceivable alternative format to fashion shows.