Looking back on the last five days of the London Fashion Week SS15 there’s almost too much to take in, let alone convey easily in a few well rounded sentences. It’s been a visual onslaught of brilliance that’s perhaps the most memorable collection of catwalk shows that we’ve ever seen at any of the international fashion weeks, and while there’s probably a little less of the wearable fashion than New York’s recent outing, there’s a whole lot more vibrant creativity.
Day 1 kicked off in epic style with impressive shows from Bora Aksu, Teatum Jones, Eudon Choi, Jean-Pierre Braganza, Amanda Wakeley and Felder Felder. Paul Costelloe led with a fifties and sixties inspired show that we kind of like, but it felt a bit out of sync with the large proportion of catwalk shows we’ve seen in recent years. If Felder Felder’s style choices are anything to go by you might want to invest in some cowgirl boots for SS15, although, in all fairness, some of the outfits are a bit hit and miss.
Day 2 was crammed with a whole lot of variety as a wide range of styles backed up against each other, whether it’s Amelia Wickstead’s funky chunky pockets and segments, Sibling’s crazy bows and outlandish designs or the slightly futuristic simplicity of form in 1205 show. We love the orange two piece outfit and the multi-coloured paisley dress featured in the House Of Holland show and the abundance of elegant dresses in the Marchesa SS15 collection are impressive.
Day 3 saw Margaret Howell bring something very simple and cool to the London catwalks, which puts the suit back into the mix for women in SS15. It something that was inevitably a part of the Vivienne Westwood Red Label show as the fashion icon continues her flamboyant love affair with the previously male dominated outfit. She also includes some stunning flashes of colour segueing into military style as well as some pretty designs. It’s another great show from the punk queen of the catwalk and it will undoubtedly see her add to her near legendary status.
The third day also saw Pringle Of Scotland deliver their best ever show in our opinion, a very stylish 70s-inspired disco fever from Matthew Williamson and a sharp outing for Topshop Unique. Other hits from the day include the cut-out designs from both Mary Katrantzou and David Koma’s show.
Day 4 saw another impressive mix come together, featuring the epic colour and fabric sculpting of Roksanda, the brilliant mix of back-to-nature tribalism with Victorian fashion elements in the Erdem show and the sheer magnitude of genius in the Burberry Prorsum collection. Kristopher Kane presented some brilliant designs, including monochrome patterns, wicked cutaways and sheer style, Thomas Tate sent out a blur of cool and Tom Ford went glam rock punk goth, but somehow made it work.
The final day may not have been the most impact-heavy series of shows in the London Fashion Week SS15 schedule, but there are still a fair few gems that are worth taking a look at. Marques’Almeida’s tribal punk Mad Max designs are hard not to slowly fall for, and the pretty futurism in H by Hakaan Yildirim’s work is sublime.
While there are clearly some significant differences between the SS15 New York and London Fashion Weeks, there are also a few themes that run throughout both of them. The most stand-out of these are the cut out styles, sheer see through tops, long flowing lines, chunky styles and an undercurrent of very classic dress designs. LFW doesn’t have the same belt-led theme that came through during the NYFW, but it has colour and texture in abundence if you’re looking for more hints of what’s to come on the high street in 2015.
Other tips for next summer to take from the week include sporty stripes, crafting an eclectic fashion taste and the infrequent importance of asymmetry. You can take a look at all of the shows at the ss15 London Fashion Week for yourself at https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/highlights.aspx. We’ll be covering some of our favourites in more detail in the coming weeks so watch this space.
