The Best Of: LFW
Where New York is conservative and chic, London blooms with colour, pattern, and textile variety very own to Britain’s capital. Despite many of those working in creative industries feeling discouraged by Britain’s decision to leave the EU, London’s designers did not fail to deliver.
The names you should learn
Alice Temperley’s collection can only be described as the ghost of Woodstock entering the runway. Embroidered maxi dresses, shiny jumpsuits, and cool mirrored sunglasses encompassing everything your festival wardrobe needs to be – playful, comfortable, and eye-catching! If this collection does not make you want to march onto a field and get drunk with your friends while listening to a random indie band playing in the background, nothing will!
Ashley Williams may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there is something incredibly refreshing about her disregard of pompous highbrow fashion rules. The collection inspired by her rebellious teenage years feels almost nostalgic, taking us back to the age when we hated school and being cool was more important than having breakfast.
Preen’s latest collection is sure to get you hyped up for Halloween. Thornton and Bregazzi, both from the Isle of Man, were inspired by local witches and astrology, as well as British punks and skinheads. There is something exhilaratingly brilliant about those polo shirts with a pentagram instead of the classic Fred Perry logo, especially when combined with long asymmetric skirts and ruffles. “Hex-appeal!” is what Thornton called it.
There is something undeniably magical about Molly Goddard too. This season her frilly princess dresses took on neon colours (as well as more classic pink and black), and turned the show into a rave. Accompanied by funky hairstyles and strikingly comfortable footwear, the collection is guaranteed to bring a smile to one’s face.
The Household Names
When designing his collection, Erdem Moralioglu was inspired by a crate of clothes from the 17th century recently discovered in the North Sea. The clothes belonged to the Countess of Roxburghe, who was sailing to the Netherlands to sell jewels on behalf of Queen Henrietta Maria as Charles I, then the King of England, needed money to fund the troops going into the impending civil war. The Countess was going undercover, which inspired Erdem to adorn the dresses with clusters of diamonds sewn into the seams and crevices. In the floral patterns hide small Roman XII’s, as the ship that tragically sunk with Contessa (and the jewels) was twelfth in the fleet. Aside from the collection being a feast for the eyes of any fashion lover, these historical references make it impossible not to fall in love with it.
Presenting in Tate, still marked by bombings of the Second World War, Christopher Kane’s collection was also inspired by events of the past. Taking inspiration from the times when women had to make do with what they had, and applying the concept to his own history, as a child and a designer, resulted in a collection which is somewhat a mosaic of his childhood memories as well as his past collections. Pieces held together by rings and textiles sewn together in almost a Dadaist matter, worn adorned with semi-precious stones and worn with Crocs? It’s shocking, it’s Kane, and it somehow works!
Going back in time seems to be a recurring theme across London Fashion Week. Donatella Versace did it too, if maybe not as literally as others, she decided to go back to the “classic” Versus girl, who is a rebel and likes to break the rules. Nothing screams “bad girl” more than a large leather jacket, ripped denim, and miniskirts! With this collection, Versace truly managed to capture her young audience, using materials very relevant to the wardrobes of today’s youth, and incorporating sportswear and military elements.
Simone Rocha was inspired by a gallery exposition displaying photographs of African agricultural workers next to eighteenth century Old Master paintings. Rocha’s collection is full of dresses with an almost Edwardian silhouette, all combined with Wellington boots, rubber gloves, and trench coats half undone. The collection is trying to portray the juxtaposition of pompous pouf-sleeved robes and utilitarian worker’s clothing, the matted down, imperfect hair on the models really driving the point home.
London Fashion Week sure felt like a trip back in time, whether it was the hippie movement in the 1960’s and 70’s, the robes of the 17th century, or the designer’s own childhood. How do you feel about Christopher Kane introducing Crocs to the runway? Which of our top eight picks is your favourite?
Stay inspired, HCXO