Christopher Kane SS16 Front of House. Photography by Shaun James Cox. Courtesy of British Fashion Council)
Fluorescent colours, madcap prints, peek-a-boo holes and the ubiquitous asymmetry – London Fashion Week was as dazzling as ever. This year’s LFW not only took place in a new venue, the Brewer Street Car Park in Soho, but also featured a high number of new designers. Faustine Steinmetz who earlier this year was nominated for the LVMH award showed a semi-couture collection inspired by surrealism and made of denim and transparent fabrics. The winners of the LVMH prize, Portuguese duo Marques’Almeida, presented fringed, frayed and frilled pieces reminiscent of Rei Kawakubo’s bold experiments though much more high street friendly.
Peter Pilotto’s SS 2016 collection was a meticulous study of cutting – the garments seemed to have been scrupulously deconstructed and put together again in a geometrical order. Similarly, geometry still fascinates the Serbian-born Roksanda Ilincic who created a collection of stripe-patterned clothes, choosing, however, a subtler colour palette this season. And Mary Katrantzou’s rich-coloured, Kusturiza-inspired collection proved once again that no one can beat the designer at pattern-making.
The lure of London Fashion Week lies in its dynamic diversity – the bold experiments by Gareth Pugh or J.W.Anderson are followed by gentle collections by Erdem and Simone Rochas, while the shows by young designers are as mesmerising as the collections by established brands.
Christopher Kane SS16 Front of House. Photography by Shaun James Cox. Courtesy of British Fashion Council
Christopher Kane SS16 Front of House. Photography by Shaun James Cox. Courtesy of British Fashion Council
Erdem SS16. Courtesy of British Fashion Council
Erdem SS16. Courtesy of British Fashion Council
Faustine Steinmetz SS16. Courtesy of Faustine Steinmetz
Faustine Steinmetz SS16. Courtesy of Faustine Steinmetz
Faustine Steinmetz SS16. Courtesy of Faustine Steinmetz
Gareth Pugh SS16, backstage, photography by Ben Broomfield. Courtesy of British Fashion Council
Gareth Pugh SS16, photography by Shaun James Cox. Courtesy of BFC
JW Anderson SS16, Backstage, photography by Eeva Rinne. Courtesy British Fashion Council
Molly Goddard SS16. Courtesy of Molly Goddard
Molly Goddard SS16. Courtesy of Molly Goddard
Molly Goddard SS16. Courtesy of Molly Goddard
Mary Katrantzou SS16, Backstage, photography by Eeva Rinne. Courtesy of British Fashion Council
Simone Rocha SS16, photography by Shaun James Cox. Courtesy of British Fashion Council
Simone Rocha SS16, photography by Shaun James Cox. Courtesy of British Fashion CouncilWF
Text by Ira Solomatina