If dark rock glamour is a refrain being heard on runways this season, don’t forget that Ann Demeulemeester has long been sounding that battle cry. And she’s been smart to stick to her rebellious guns, as trends come and go, because there will always be girls of a more melancholy persuasion. Those channeling an inner Wednesday’s Child can take delight, because Demeulemeester delivered on her brooding romanticism to breathtaking effect.

 

Her tailoring, for starters, was great — jackets, though less languid than usual, were stylish and had added visual intrigue in tone-on-tone embroideries.  The designer let loose with her deconstructivist splicing and dicing, as well as dramatic drapes, bunches and folds on long shirts and slouchy skirts. It all had a tossed-together nonchalance that was poetic and alluring. And this season, she folded in an equestrian motif, complete with riding boots with stylish wedges and multistrap belts-cum-corsets. Another dark victory for Demeulemeester.