London Fashion Week: Day 5 Highlights
Day five marked the end of the LFW womenswear calendar for autumn/winter 2012 and was an excellent show of the British fashion that London is so revered for right now: critics have praised the innovation and commercial prospects of these exciting and talented designers.
With a bleary-eyed, sleep-deprived audience (minds already drifting to Milan tomorrow - Gucci first thing), there could not have been a better opening show to pull things back into focus than Mary Katrantzou.
Her signature sculptural shapes were re-invented for next season with her latest inspiration – the beauty of everyday objects. Prints ranged from glassware, lattice windows, typewriter keys, guitars and the iconic yellow pencil: one dress even went beyond print and was embellished with the pencils themselves.
Katrantzou found interesting ways of incorporating these everyday items into the print but making them work for the garment: an elaborate, Elizabethan ruffled collar of one dress was also a collection of pencil shavings. A geometric-looking print turned out to be a topiary maze. It was quite beautiful really, like a visual account of where and what the Katrantzou team had been seeing in the past season.
Peter Jensen showed off the kitsch daywear he has become known for, teamed with ankle socks and lace-up flat shoes. The colour co-ordinating Urbanears headphones slung around the models’ necks were a clear nod to the city set: this collection is perfect for the creative working woman’s daywear wardrobe. The pieces were so lovely they’ll also be perfect for after-work socialising, too. 24/7 fashion.
David Koma and Emilio de la Morena both showed strong collections that developed on previous seasons: we especially loved the latter’s hooded, voluminous cape jackets and eveningwear panelled with glassy PVC. Holly Fulton’s art deco soul was once again the heart of her latest collection which she showed off in a tight colour palette of highlighter pinks, blues and dashes of black. More of the chunky Swarovski-embellished jewellery featured and handheld pochettes and iPad cases were toted by the models with great effect.
Further on in the schedule Roksanda Ilincic ran away with fashion editors’ and stylists hearts with her smart, inherently cool designs: oversized knit jumpers were paired with laminated, embellished pencil skirts to create a trendy yet smart look while she also sent out more paired-back simple shifts that were well cut, with a slight twisted pleat or fur embellishment.
The day was a sort of vitamin supplement for the fashion-weary. With unique, quirky yet wearable designs, this set of designers set the standard on the future of London fashion and place themselves firmly on the international stage. If you’ve begun feeling a little less enthused, these talented teams should go some way in reviving your fashion zeal.
Words: Rowan Allen
