As the sun set on New York Fashion week, our eyes, purses and minds returned to home turf. LFW as we’ve never seen it before, as it took its debut in Soho at the new Brewer street car park (after a whopping five years at Somerset House). Whether it’s the FROW, the new collections or who is walking for who, we have it covered in our round-up of #LFW.
Brewer Street Car Park has taken over from Somerset House as the main hub of #LFW
Fashions Finest – What the world’s famous had to offer
As the week begun and the shows began, there was a definite air of rebellion present within the collections. Vivienne Westwood, an icon of British fashion and key player in the punk movement, centred her Vivienne Westwood Red Label S/S16 show around political protest, following on from her driving a tank to David Cameron’s constituency home earlier last month. Westwood adhered to her bold reputation with a collection anchoring her anti-establishment views, led by the Fash Mob. The show opened with police sirens and the big brother-esque droning of ‘Hashtag, hashtag, Twitter, Instagram; wake up and hashtag, go crazy every day.’ The protest format did not deter attention from the collection and Westwood stayed true to her punk heritage with snippets of tartan in cotton and metallic lame, alongside draping fabrics and Mad Max inspired paint clad faces. Ashish Gupta, who is celebrating ten years of LFW, honed his usual rainbow palette, with a focus on bubblegum pink, sequins and slogans aplenty. The models took to the catwalk on skateboards and we expected nothing less from the out-there designer. The show featured two male models showcasing the womenswear collection and the gender fluidity vibe was a fitting ode to the inclusive qualities of fashion, freedom and equality. Anya Hindmarch’s clean cut lines, slicked back ponytails and geometric prints built around familiar logos from the British high street created a nostalgic yet modern flavour of 80’s Britain. And how could you not be proud to be British after seeing Hindmarch’s offerings?
L-R: Vivienne Westwood, Ashish, Anya Hindmarch
Burberry Prorsum lived up to its sleek, elegant name with an envious frow comprising of Burberry beauties Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne, Suki Waterhouse, and Jourdan Dunn, alongside the likes of Sienna Miller, Paloma Faith, and Benedict Cumberbatch. Burberry made the show accessible for the masses by revealing all to the world via Snapchat. There was a clear monochrome focus, with a sprinkling of muted pastels, ultra-feminine adaptations of broderie anglaise and an undeniable outerwear presence (when do we truly get to ditch those coats come May?). Nothing was too much at the Christopher Kane show, from block acid tone colours to juxtaposing fabrics all bases were covered. Kane’s S/S16 Damage and Repair collection explores the ideas of a troubled mind, following the passing of his mother earlier in the year, and shows that art can transform psychological damage into something quite spectacular, new and relatable. Topshop Unique praised the importance of good tailoring and the versatility of a form-fitting suit. Beauty was not scrimped on for the show, with models sporting bold crimson lips, teased out hair and dark-rimmed eyes for a playful edge. The message was clear – be experimental with tailoring, stop taking it so seriously. The fluffy ankle-strapped heels proved the point that (faux) fur is not just a winter staple, and that it can inject fun into any look.
L-R: Burburry, Christopher Kane “It’s about crash and repair,” Topshop Unique
Unsung Heroes – Let’s not forget
Mary Katrantzou took inspiration for her S/S16 collection from cosmology and the order of things. The end result showcased explorer chic taken to new dimensions with an emphasis on light, beauty and femininity. There was a departure from her usual sharp shapes and a veering towards softer silhouettes. And as always we admire the complicity. Felder Felder was every cool kids fantasy, from high-shine metallics, mesh and clashing colour blocking; there was no stone left unturned. Peter Pilotto stuck true to his name with a collection centred on varying shapes and textures. The layering of fabrics was a new touch for S/S 16. The addition of Chantilly lace was a firm favourite and secures the collection as delicate yet wearable. House of Holland S/S 16 was an array of khaki explorer jackets, fringed ankle boots and prints aplenty all culminating to create the ultimate in traveller chic.
L-R: Mary Katrantzou “I wanted it to be enchanting and beautiful,”, Felder Felder , Peter Pilotto, House of Holland “psychedelic, trippy, and eccentric,”
Round of Applause – The ones to follow
L-R: Christopher Raeburn, Kingston University MA collection, Giles, Huishan Zhang
LFW sure got everyone talking, with the five day event generating over one million more tweets than NYFW. Let’s see how Milan and Paris hold their weight as fashion month draws to a close.
Emma McCormack