London Fashion Week SS18

Unfortunately due to a busy work schedule this past month, I was not prepared for this season's London Fashion Week and decided to give it a miss in favour of a trip home to see my family and spend the weekend relaxing.

However, I did manage to keep up to date and follow the shows closely via online updates and live streams. So to get the ball rolling with this new blog malarky I thought I would do a little run down of my favourite shows and looks from the season so far.

C H R I S T O P H E R . K A N E .

A London Fashion Week staple and pioneer, Christopher Kane is at the forefront of British style and design and is one not to be missed. As much as i'm a fan, its taken me a while to get into a few of his collections in recent years. Eventually they all win me over in the end though! This was very much the feeling I got with this seasons offering. Taking on a domestic woman as his muse, Kane created a collection full of domestic connotations - fringing suggestive of straggly mops, latex-esque fabrics reminding us of marigold cleaning gloves, clothes pegs holding garment sin place, black bin liner ruffles and carrying over from his previous collection, the use of spongy fabric of course derived from your classic household sponge or scouring pad. All of these elements re-invented and interpreted with a prim feminine twist but also a element of distress suggestive that his muse was somewhat at a loose end.... A cacophony of domesticity, femininity, a hint of fetish and a bit of kink!




S I M O N E . R O C H A .

An all time favourite designer of mine is Simone Rocha. She never fails to capture my heart and imagination and this season was no exception. Building upon the subversive femininity and classic codes that helped build her eponymous brand, Rocha delivered a collection brimming with ruffles, tulle, silk, lace and satin which looked elegant, demure and edgy. There was a dark romance to many pieces due her use of black and sweet yet sinister paper dolls embroidered on delicate lace. Season after season she leaves me dying to be a Rocha girl.




B U R B E R R Y .

Renowned for re-establishing Burberry's status as a high-end desirable brand, Christopher Bailey excelled himself this season by bringing back the classic Burberry check in all its glory. Focusing on the brands quintessentially British roots Bailey revisited high brow classics such as fair isle knits, penny loafers and argyle socks, juxtaposing these timeless pieces with more contemporary elements from the brands recent past - plaid baseball caps, trench coats and bags. A throw back to the Burberry signature which in the recent past unintentionally came to be associated with the less desirable social group known as 'chavs'. The trend seems to have gone full circle and now inspired by the noughties chav aesthetic and adoption of the check, Bailey has reinterpreted this into a contemporary catwalk trend, instantly being hailed as a hit! The tough demeanour of the old-school check contrasted with the classic knits, elegant embellished dresses and bejewelled earrings is simply perfection in my eyes!



M A R Y . K A T R A N T Z O U

Mary Katrantzou was one of the first up and coming young designers on my radar when I seriously got into fashion as a teen, and my support for her has endured through the seasons since. For Spring Summer her inspiration came from some of her favourite childhood games and toys from the 80's - "Lego, Spirograph, pain-by-numbers books, balloons, marbles, Hama beads". With this in mind it is easy to see how Katrantzou may apply her signature penchant for colour and print to such a theme. This translated into an extravagant collection, brimming with bright shades of yellow, orange, pink and blue. Bright rainwear pieces were transformed into playful poofy dresses, paint-by-numbers florals adorned layered nylon layers with a sporty/active-wear edge and neoprene mixed with sequinned checks created a futuristic figure. I think Mary might be at the forefront of the colour renaissance this season.



M O T H E R . O F . P E A R L

A strong competitor for my absolute favourite London show this season is Mother Of Pearl. Over the past few years, this brand has gone from strength to strength and after winning this years BFC Fashion Fund, shows no signs of stopping! How best to describe this seasons offering...cosy and cute seems pretty fitting. I would love nothing more than to be wrapped up in one of these soft knit combos or silky pyjama sets, burying my face into a matching pillow - delightful! In recent years, comfort has fast become a key component for me with any outfit therefore I have previously been more than pleased to embrace trainers, wide fitting jeans and easy to wear knits, therefore I am more than eager to welcome the idea of carrying a big cuddly pillow around - beats a clutch bag any day in my book.

Well that's my take on the best London SS18 shows so far. Currently writing this from my freezing cold bedroom wearing as many layers as might be humanly possible, it comes as no surprise that I am already dreaming of summer and can't wait for the season to be upon us once again!