LONDON FASHION WEEK AW 16 COLLECTIONS
The 63rd edition of London Fashion Week 2016, was nothing short of a triumph, featuring 83 designers, showcasing their collections to the UK and International Press and buyers across five days. Alexander McQueen, which usually shows in Paris, returned to London to make a star appearance on the schedule, and what an appearance!
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN – AW 16
– Sarah Burton’s collection was exquisite, and swung between the dreamy delicacy of nude coloured ethereal organza gowns, embellished with twinkling sequins of the moon, stars, birds of paradise, and butterflies, with underlying lingerie in varying forms, which continued throughout the collection, to mannish black tailored jackets, with bondage-style leg bands, and fur-lined oversized coats embroidered with lips, clocks and butterflies, (the signature motif of the house). All in all, it was a collection which screamed ‘yes i’m delicate, but i’m also very sexy!’
– ERDEM – AW 16
Erdem played on the glamour of a 1930′s Hollywood starlet with his collection. Some gowns fitting tightly to the body, revealing just the right amount of flesh, whether it be decolletage, or long side-splits, ensuring maximum glamour. Elsewhere, Edwardian midi-length dresses in lace, silk and satin took centre stage, many adorned with sparkly sequins and gold-fringing. The collection had a vintage feel, but with the infusion of luxurious fabrics, sparkling metallic brocades, and sheer craftmanship, these pieces will be kept right-up-to-the-minute with the array of A-listers, who will be banging on the door of Mr Moraglioglu to get hold of one.
– J.W. ANDERSON – AW 16
It was ruffles galore, and a whole lot more at J.W. Anderson, with ruffles and frills on hems and collars, and architectural looking applique, one dress even adorned with a cape attached to the collar, (handy for a rainy day if you’re waiting at the bus stop), all pieces expertly aimed towards his young target market.
– MARY KATRANTZOU – AW 16
Mary Katrantzou’s ‘Cowboy and Princess’ inspired collection, once again breathed all of the natural exuberance of the talented designer herself. Colourful embellishment of garments, which must have taken many hours to create, danced brightly alongside colourful embroidery, juxtaposed in many cases, with hemlines of tulle, and transparent gauze necklines, with embroidered butterflies. Herringbone coats, and colourful jackets with herringbone collars added a quirky twist, so that if you are going out for cocktails in one of these exquisite pieces, and it’s a bit chilly outside, you now have the perfect outerwear piece to go with it – genius!
– J. JS LEE – AW 16
When it comes to dressing for work, J. JS Lee’s fantastic collection seemed like sheer bliss for a busy professional. Her expert tailoring was apparent on all garments, which were casually layered over each other and would ‘mix and match’ perfectly, (for those lucky enough to be able to purchase several pieces!) The collection was partly influenced by the evolution and revision of modern power dressing for women in the late 1980′s, which can be seen “Commanding Authority” throughout the collection in the masculine tailored trouser suits, two-piece skirt suits, and structured dress coats, some with belted cinched-in waists. Personally, always a favourite for workwear, would be the dresses, and skirts, layered over the sharply tailored trousers, with either a jacket or coat flung over the top. This collection has all of that. So easy to wear, but exuding maximum impact, (even after a heavy business lunch!) For another take on power dressing, look no further than Gareth Pugh’s collection of sharply tailored suits and military coats, with the boldest shoulders imaginable, and double breasted fastenings with big buttons – yum!
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Also, staying with the workfront, let’s not forget the lush navy velvet trouser suit with gold piping at Roksanda,
ROKSANDA – AW 16
and the long navy double-breasted dress with gold buttons, and navy blue suit with red ‘lightning flash’ at Paul Smith.
PAUL SMITH – AW 16
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These outfits are for the women who have already reached the top, but might still need to go to the occasional board meeting now and again.
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BURBERRY – AW 16
Elsewhere, Burberry showed it’s new collection in Kensington Gardens this time, which certainly made a positive difference to the overall ambience. British Musician Jake Bugg performed a beautiful soulful live-performance.
– There was no jostling around by the audience this time, just pure unadulterated engagement from each and every person in the room. If a picture paints a thousand words – then the look on the faces of the audience said it all.
– Sophisticated checks appeared on brushed wool mohair duffle coats, worn over brightly coloured sequined dresses, python appeared in many guises in the form of coats, dresses and on the exquisite individually designed handbags, bright handworked fil coupe silk dresses were worn underneath military jackets, and jacquard tops paired with military trousers. On and on they came, one mesmerising look after another, which left all completely spellbound.
– The Fashion Show is a wonderful thing. Anyone who has been lucky enough to attend one, will never forget the feeling of sheer excitement and electricity in the air, and the prestige of being able to hold that ticket and to witness the ‘wonderment’ of the fashion collection to ensue (and consequent desirability of said collection.)
– The art of turning the timing of these feelings into cold hard cash is debatable. Some may not want to miss the moment, and make the collection instantly available, others may feel that desirability is created through anticipation over a longer period.
– Anyone witnessing the live-feeds from London Fashion Week this week, will have been able to see the excitement and wonderment on the faces of the audience for themselves.
– Also, with the fact that the British Fashion Industry is directly responsible for £26 billion to the UK Economy, £27 billion worth of womenswear sales took place in 2015 and with 797,000 jobs supported, the UK Fashion Industry is on the up-and-up!
– And with the sea of Smartphones capturing every single moment of every show, and superb digital technology on offer rendering the collections instant global recognition through this website, and varying forms of social media, one thing’s for sure, the Fashion Show is here to stay….!