Origami Folds, Dreamy Nightscapes, & The Colour Black Rule Mary Katrantzou’s Runway

Mary, Mary, quite contrary? Coming off her signature floral-splashed, porcelain-bowl skirts and this spring's breezy collection of currency and stamp prints, Mary Katrantzou's fall '13 offering marked a dramatic transition for theGreek-born designer. It seems she has gone on...to the dark side.

To be fair, Katrantzou's black-centric colour palette and photographic prints of pavements and bridges (some being crossed by a solitary man), nightscapes, and Asian-inspired forests felt equally sobering and soothing at the same time.

Beyond prints, Katrantzou is a master of structure, and though her wide-angle skirts have fallen by the wayside for now, there were plenty of architectural details to admire. In keeping with the Asian feeling of her landscape prints, the designer delivered strong origami folds at the bodices, with sharp angular cuts along the bias. Sculptural, rounded shoulders also dominated, particularly with a black, embossed leather dress that dropped mid-calf.

Whatever the reason for Katrantzou's moodier choices this season, there's no denying that she's pushing herself creatively and stylistically. We just can't wait to see where she takes us next.