Unearthing the New at London Fashion Week

2 hours ago 22

LONDON — There was something surreal about seeing King Charles III, hours after his brother Andrew’s arrest, sit down to watch British Nigerian designer Tolu Coker show a collection titled “Survivor’s Remorse” introduced by Little Simz rapping about social mobility and freedom.

Coker’s outing referenced her personal journey from public housing to establishing her line of empowered women’s tailoring. And while Charles (and his disgraced brother) may have dominated the headlines, the clothes on display were proof of the kind of creativity that remains on offer at London Fashion Week, despite the fashion market malaise.

Daniel del Valle aka TheVxlley — a multidisciplinary artist who started working on his collection of wearable sculptures during the pandemic — was a standout. In a debut presentation at the newly restored Ladbroke Hall, Del Valle sent out human Ming vases, Spanish mosaic armour and floral still lifes on walking canvases that deliberately blurred the lines between art and fashion.

The author has shared an Instagram Post.You will need to accept and consent to the use of cookies and similar technologies by our third-party partners (including: YouTube, Instagram or Twitter), in order to view embedded content in this article and others you may visit in future.

Chopova Lowena switched it up by presenting on mannequins for the first time and that static format allowed viewers to absorb the intricacies of their Regency-era styling and riotous take on Victoriana. One show a year to showcase the CL energy and then one presentation to hone in on the craft. That could prove a clever strategy.

Yaku Stapleton is a legit otaku nerd, who brought his immersive RPG video game world of warrior protagonists to life on the runway for the first time. His models came bounding out in combat mode, wearing over-dyed hoodies and sweats with spikes and padded accoutrements.

Obsession with singular techniques also yielded interesting outcomes. Case in point: Petra Fagerström’s debut presentation, which expanded on the lenticular pleating technique she used in her Central Saint Martins MA collection. Then there was A Letter’s Matt Empringham and Freddy Coomes, who showed just a few standout showpieces made out of crepe paper.

Erdem Moralıoğlu has always been obsessive about the forensic-level research he does for his collections. For his 20th anniversary show at Tate Britain, he cannily steered clear of a traditional retrospective, instead taking inspiration from imagined conversations between muses of his past collections, from Maria Callas and “Debo” the Duchess of Devonshire to botanist Marianne North and cross-dressing poet Radcliffe Hall — many of them figures of both establishment and transgression, who get at the balance Moralıoğlu’s work has so deftly struck over the last two decades. And in splicing up his past, Erdem let threads flail and left many edges raw, making for one of his freest outings ever.

Roksanda Ilinčić, who is readying a store on Sloane Street, decided not to show this season. Instead she co-hosted a dinner at Claridge’s to celebrate her latest collection, which was inspired by Carlo Scarpa’s meditative brutalist architecture and keyed into the kind of soft tailoring and easy dresses that are likely to sit well on her rails.

Simone Rocha seemed to have horses on the brain when she once again took to the theatre of Alexandra Palace in North London to present a show that drew from both her fascination with Irish mythology and the sense of realism she found in Perry Ogden’s “Pony Kids” and included a collaboration with Adidas. Think: track tops under lace-up hooped gowns, little bloomer shorts and sneakerinas. There were hardier pieces like giant parka hoods paired with voluminous ball gowns as well as a stronger emphasis on menswear. But in bringing things closer to earth, the ethereal touch for which she is lauded risked getting a little lost.

Elsewhere, Barbados-born Traiceline Pratt’s brand Goyagoma made its debut at Fashion East. Pratt comes with previous experience at Phoebe Philo and with that pedigree was ballsy enough to call his collection “Something to Wear.” Also at Fashion East, Jacek Gleba continued his fascination with abstracted balletcore in murky pastel shades.

There’s a sizeable cohort of made-to-order designers in London. Richard Quinn leads the pack though his evening wear is beginning to feel old, despite the futuristic “Space Odyssey” backdrop. Harris Reed, with his finale of four “fluid brides,” dipped a toe into the lucrative bridal market. Newcomer Steve O Smith also presented his unique drawings transposed into dresses in a salon format suited for his made-to-order model. To be sure, his layers of tulle lined with beading to mimic ink splashes and watercolour washes are eye-catching. Then there’s Patrick McDowell who caters to a more grown-up demographic with his collection of cinched waist frocks and double-breasted coats.

You can always find ladylike polish at Emilia Wickstead, except this season there was a markedly more flamboyant edge, with standout pieces like a silver godet hipped cocktail dress and a monochrome floral gown with a dropped waist sash. The return of Joseph under the creative direction of Mario Arena gave us a practical woman’s wardrobe of soft leathers, gold jewellery and strong outerwear that will resonate beyond a fashion insider crowd. Toga, designed by Yasuko Furuta, has been showing in London for over a decade and you wonder why her modular layers and accomplished off-kilter textures don’t get more eyeballs.

Pauline Dujancourt paid homage to her coven of craftswomen with delicate witchy lace dresses and gossamer knits, walking on literal eggshells. Meanwhile, Oscar Ouyang sent his cast of aristokids in layers of Napoleonic jackets and preppy polos, albeit with a rebellious indie flair. Chet Lo’s spiky knitwear had newfound purpose this season, anchoring a Hong Kong-style night market installed in a fancy ballroom and populated by UK-based East and Southeast Asian creatives. Karoline Vitto, who made a name with her sculptural way of dressing curvaceous bodies, returned to ask one direct question: “Where have all the curve models gone?” Jewellery brand Completedworks designed by Anna Jewsbury sold us her burgeoning homeware category with a campy monologue performed by former “Girls” star Jemima Kirke.

Being a young designer can feel like a Sisyphian challenge. Photographer and choreographer Ronan McKenzie’s fashion project Selasi found positivity in that struggle, sending out a touching display of upcycled, old-school PE kits and deconstructed sweats and trackies, alongside girls sprinting to athletic bleep tests. Doing a lot with little: That’s another London MO.

Conner Ives’ mode of upcycling took us to a decadent last dance decked out in bias-cut piano shawls and opulent Chinoiserie that looked discernibly polished, especially on a cast of friends and family that included Tish Weinstock in a silk opera coat and Osman Ahmed in slinky black and a giant pheasant feather choker. Dominique Jackson sashaying gracefully in a white sheath wedding dress was perhaps one of the most convincing bridal propositions we saw in London.

In a London Fashion Week first, British-Yemeni designer Kazna Asker invited us to break fast with her and her family during Ramadan, serving up a sundown Palestinian feast, intermingled with cross-cultural looks that combined Middle Eastern fabrications with sportswear.

Only in London.

Read Entire Article