If you read my NYFW Fall 2016 post, you will know how much I enjoy watching the new season progress on the catwalks. And London was no exception. I realised being British I am slightly biased, but I absolutely love London Fashion Week, I really think some of our designers are incredible, and so innovative, I am always keen to see what is being shown!
This year I (finally) went to London Fashion Weekend as well, which was so much fun! Keep an eye out later this week for a post on that!!
Anyway... without further delay: My top shows!
Burberry
I think Burberry was one of the first shows I ever watched live, as they have been ahead of the technological curve for a long time, and it is one of the shows I never miss! This season was beautiful as per, with strong androgynous military theme mixed with a dash of 70s David Bowie. There were some fantastic juxtapositions such as floating lace with military jackets, and mini dresses with oversized aviator jackets.
Erdem
I love watching shows which are a little bit different, and Erdem is definitely that, the set where the show is held is full of beautiful old chandeliers, and low spindly chairs, the lighting is low and casts a romantic, if slightly eerie glow. You see a polar bear covered over, it is as if a beautiful house has been asleep for a long time, and the models are memories moving through the rooms!
The show uses some of the soundtrack from the 1950s film All About Eve, where a young girl plots to take the career of a successful actress. I feel like that was portrayed within the show, because at the beginning of the collection the dresses were muted colours, but by the end they were bright and sparkly, which would be fitting for her to receive an award.
Anya Hindmarch
The Anya Hindmarch show is always something of a spectacle, and this season was no different, with Tetris, Pac Man and Space Invaders popping up all over the place. The use of emojis throughout the accessories and on outerwear was a great contrast to the retro theme,
Topshop Unique
So. Many. Gorgeous. Coats.
I have a series collection of outerwear, and from watching this Topshop Unique collection, I think I'm about to gain a few more. There were some great pieces this season, from aviator jackets (definitely getting one for next season!) to 70s style faux fur pimp coats with wide lapels. And that's not half of it. I'm loving all the mixed fabrics, such as lace trousers/ dresses, velvet jumpsuit and dress, and lots of sheer panels.
Love
I get so excited when Fashion Week starts in New York, it means I have 4 weeks of watching beautiful outfits and shoes, getting little bits of inspiration for what I am going to incorporate into my wardrobe in the coming seasons... It's fantastic! With an increase in social media, we can now watch more shows than ever online, however it does come with a caveat - the current season is likely to be the last one ever in this format, as Burberry has announced that starting in September they will be showing in Season. Basically at the moment all shows are 6 months ahead of the release, so that buyers can pick which items from the collection they want to have in store, however as social media has become more prevalent, shoppers now want to purchase items that they have seen on the runway straight away. So I think it's going to be an interesting couple of seasons while all these changes happen!
Anyway... I thought I would do a series of 4 posts showing you a couple of my favourite looks from the shows! This week it is New York, next will be London, the following will be Milan, and finally Paris!
Michael Kors Collection
This has been one of my favourite shows to watch for a long time, and it were some of his pieces which were my first ever designer purchases. I know that there is currently a trend for Michael Michael Kors Bags and Watches, but look past those and check out his Ready To Wear collection, it's a thing of beauty.
This season, his show was all about movement and juxtaposition, so there were lots of feathers, and floaty materials, and he was turning convention on it's head - sparkly dresses or heels for day time, jumpers or flats for the evening.
If you want to watch the whole show, you will find it on the Michael Kors Youtube Channel.
Victoria Beckham
I've been a fan of Victoria Beckham since I was a little girl pretending to be a Spice Girl, and in my teens I was frequently guided by her book "That Extra Half an Inch" so when she made her fashion week début in 2008, I was really interested. I loved her collection then, it was so sleek and classy - she knew how to make women look good, over the years she has fluctuated slightly, but this season she has gone back to her basics: truly beautiful silhouettes.
The Victoria Beckham Fall 2016 Show is also available on her Youtube Channel.
Diane Von Furstenberg
I'm not entirely sure how to describe this show, you may have seen some videos on Snapchat or Instagram, but it wasn't a traditional runway show, this season Diane Von Furstenberg focused around five ideas: movement, fencing, traditional office, creative office and party. All I can say is that it's different! The clothes are incredibly beautiful as always, but as much as I loved the presentation, I kind of felt like it is detracting from them somehow!
Rodarte
When I watched the Rodarte show, all I could think of was WOW. It isn't just that the clothes are incredibly beautiful, but also the music, the styling, how the girls faces were painted like dolls, with their perfect deep red lips. It was a fairytale, but definitely a Hans Christian Anderson version!
I definitely recommend watching this show, it is available on their Youtube Channel.
Alexander Wang
This show has to be one of the edgiest at fashion week, the decision to put such a boundary pushing show in a church, was incredible. The exposed breasts, stripper pole prints and leather dog collars could not have stuck out more, however it only works because he has such incredible pieces within the collection. Some of my favourite items this season were when he took traditional items, such as tweed suits, and made them his: short skirts, huge silver detailing, but still incredibly well cut.
Keep an eye out for my favourites from London Fashion Week coming up soon! Let me know in the comments what you thought of the shows!
Love
