The fate of London Fashion Week was uncertain last week due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Raf Simmons, who was due to present his London debut, immediately canceled his show after learning of the news. The show must go on despite the government allowing it to. The British Fashion Council said that shows and presentations of collections can continue, but they are asking designers to respect the mood of the nation, with just non- essential events and parties canceled. It was clear that the last-minute tribute to Elizabeth II would be amazing.
The young designer known for his sexy collections started on Thursday. There was a somber mood as the fashion pack entered the hotel. The British Fashion Council’s guidelines about having to cancel all social gatherings during this period of national mourning led to the disappearance of the usual pre-show cocktails.
Most of the crowd was wearing black. A minute’s silence was observed in honor of the Queen before the show started. Everyone was able to put their phones down for the duration after the lights went down.
The first model walked the runway in an all-black morning suit, rendered in British wool. It was an apt way to honor the late monarch as the sounds of the British composer played.
Black, grey, and off-white were the colors of the day. The collection pays homage to the eclectic characters of London throughout history, with looks modeled on everyone from contemporary city-slickers to the punks of the King’s Road.
There were multiple three-piece suits, check pyjama short sets, and white-tie items. A halter- neck floor-length number is among them. The oversized trench coats with extra-long sleeves gave a stylish solution to spring outerwear.
There were pops of pink on biker jackets and an all-sky blue short set. There was a chocolate brown leather suit that was a nod to the burgeoning queer scene of the Nineties. The cutout trend will maintain its stronghold over our spring/ summer wardrobe next year, thanks to a floor-length black fitted dress with a keyhole on the torso.
A male model walked the runway in leather trousers and a silk corset as the final look was all black. Do you mean on his head? We will likely see a lot of the black netted headpiece at the funeral.
After a triumphant and colourful close to day one from Harris Reed, we began the second day by going to the London Scottish House for the show.
The show began with a minute of silence. The bows were left on the seats for the show-goers to wear.
A drum roll broke after the show’s first model walked in head-to-toe shades of white and cream. The show notes described the dreamscape as an “archistic dreamscape” that explored the relationship between innocence and perversion.
In a departure from his last two collections in tribute to overlooked women, Aksu was inspired by artists Henry Darger and Marcel Dzama to explore femininity through an entirely darker lens. It wasn’t without the Turkish designer’s signature flamboyance.
A nod to the two artists’ work can be found in the lace and silky skirts that were kicked out from 1930s-style tailored military jackets topped by kepi hats.
The co-ord sweater and hot pant sets wore with peekaboo buttoned tights and more revealing lace slips were in contrast to the Broderie anglaise dresses. It looks like the latter symbolises experience over innocence. You can imagine how fans of Aksu would react if they saw some of them on the carpet.
A thread of the show was the use of damaged and rejected limited quantity materials.
There are two final looks. The wow factor of our first show of the day was the puffed-sleeve dresses covered in polkadots and a white lace gown with a bonnet.
We went to central London to see the latest offering from Edward Crutchley. Paul, the driver of our Volvo C40 Charge car, was able to park up while we went to find a seat in the industrial space because the show was located deep in a car park.
The perfect acoustics were created by the echoey setting. The inspiration for the show was Ancient Greek and Heraclitus of Ephesus, who believed that everything always flows.
The first models appeared in iridescent dresses and shirts made from a double fabric with a jacquard effect.
A sheer, form-fitting bodycon dress with fish scale-like embellishment, as well as knits in rainbow shades and wet look trenches followed in the form of another example of Crutchley’s mastery of fabric.
The English designer dislikes the term gender neutral in reference to his collections, preferring to say simply they are clothes for who ever buys them. The models were dressed with clothes that fitted their form, not gender stereotypes, and the muscular male models looked club-ready in bejewelled corsets and underwear.
There was an intricate beaded mask worn just across the jaw and all of the models teetered across the car park in mega-high holographic platforms. The collection’s party credentials were helped by the sudden stop of the whale sounds and white noise at the end of the show.
We went underground to attend the Temperley London presentation in a mansion. While Alice worked the room, tea was served.
The signatures you would expect from this label were present.
Intricately embroidered gowns with map motifs, silky shell print kaftans and seersucker dresses lined a rack of clothes that are perfect for holidays and cruises There was an air of bohemian evening elegance in the dresses with sheer panels.
The perfect man to start the party was Mark Fast. Neon lights and a big sound system by Overmono set the tone for a rave ready collection as we arrived at 180 The Strand.
Aerobics wear such as bodysuits and ankle warmers were brought up to date for modern partying with ribbed details. Fast’s bodycon dresses were updated in neon with playful details.
For those who don’t subscribe to Fast’s go bold or go home approach to silhouettes, there were more 1980s references in power suits, rara skirts, graffiti print shirts and stone-washed denim.
This collection was designed to celebrate physicality, presenting a range centred on acceptance of one’s own self and embracement of everybody. It was mentioned in the show notes that the designer has doubled his number of stores in Asia in the past few years, a huge accomplishment during a time when bricks and mortar shopping was in danger.
It was onto the cult south London-based label KNWLS. KNWLS is known for its sexy corsets and daring cutout ensemble that are just as sexy as they are impractical.
After missing out on a real-life show, the brand returned to LFW. They met as students at Central Saint Martins and founded it together. There was a row around the entire space at the show in The Mills Fabrica.
The lights went out. We rarely hear a fashion show soundtrack these days. The collection was going to be nostalgic. If you don’t like the Y2K trend, you’re not going to like KNWLS’ spring/summer 2023 collection, which was basically a paean to the era.
The collection began with a series of lace-up mesh flares with matching crop tops. Think of low-rise black flares with wide-open corsetry styled over KNWLS’ signature bralettes.
There was a lot of denim. The flares were stonewashed and low-rise like Britney and Christina. The shape was changed with triangular-rise jeans and a jacket with a large collar. There were wide-leg styles with matching denim handbags and belt buckles.
On one occasion, a shearling jacket that looked straight out of Almost Famous, was seen in matching skirt co-ords and handbags. The mini skirts were very mini in the style of Miu Miu’s co-ord offering that went viral earlier this year. The bodysuits came in high-rise styles with visible underwear in the back.
There was a lot of girlish charm by way of several flippy pink mini dresses, one of which was styled with a belted leather jacket. If it ain’t broke, we’d wear every single piece of this collection.