London Fashion Week Recap (SS12)

Posted: September 29, 2011 | Author: Verena Hafner - musings of a fashion stylist | Filed under: London Fashion Week, spring/summer | Tags: Acne, Antonio Berardi, Christopher Kane, Emilia Wickstead, Emilio de la Morena, Erdem, fashion, Giles, Jean-Pierre Braganza, Jonathan Saunders, Julian Macdonald, LFW, London Fashion Week, Margaret Howell, Marios Schwab, Mark Fast, Mary Katrantzou, Mulberry, Paul Smith, Peter Pilotto, Pringle of Scotland, SS12, Todd Lynn, Zoe Jordan | Leave a comment »

Not that we all didn’t know that but reviewing New York and London back to back really makes the differences clear. In NY I find that most trends are obvious within the first day. There seems to be more of a common aesthetic that of course leaves each designer with their signature but also collectively sums up the city’s mindset. In London everyone marches to the beat of their own drum which results in a wider range of silhouettes and colour palettes (some very successful, some very, err, interesting) and the city’s reputation to be a creative lab of sorts.

There was so much that I liked in London, so without further ado:

EMILIA WICKSTEAD

To be perfectly honest, this is the first time I hear about Emilia Wickstead but what I love what I see. Her collection is classic and beautiful. The designer cites pleats as her signature detail which is definitely true for this season. Her babydoll dresses and rompers are adorable.

JEAN-PIERRE BRAGANZA

Jean-Pierre Braganza’s show was based on very graphic prints. I found his hexagonal hemline interesting and thought it worked very well. The collection felt very clean with fluid dresses being toughened up with tailoring that focused on a strong shoulder.

JULIAN MACDONALD

I surprised myself by liking this collection as I’m by no means a Macdonald girl. Usually it’s too overtly sexy for me, a little full-on. For SS12 Julian was inspired by yachts which resulted in the use of lots of leather and chrome. It all still felt very sexy but also very luxurious. Funnily, the last look (24) reminded me of one of Prabal Gurung’s dresses.

ZOË JORDAN

Zoë Jordan is another name I hadn’t heard before but I liked her vision immediately. She trained as an architect and it shows. Her lines are very clean and all her pieces ooze elegance.

EMILIO DE LA MORENA

This collection doesn’t necessarily play into my personal taste but I love the ideas that went into it. I am particularly drawn to the short narrow skirts overlaid with a transparent pleated layer which reveals the colourful inner skirt when the wearer moves. This makes for a feminine, flirty feel that defines the collection. As always, the construction of his clothes plays a great role in Emilio de la Morena’s offering.

JONATHAN SAUNDERS

I am so into the idea of paisley in unexpected colours, even gradients! Jonathan Saunders took things even further (look 40) when he seemed to have woven the pattern into the fabric instead of printing it on. The result is a sort of paisley lace and looks very delicate and subtle.

MARGARET HOWELL

Isn’t this exactly what everyone wants in their closets? Crisp white shirts, relaxed tailoring, Breton stipe tops, trench coats served up in a nautical palette with coral accents. Lovely!

MULBERRY

It seems to me that Mulberry built on this season’s colour palette. There’s still the yellow/brown combination from AW11 but it has developed. The collection seems a little lighter in comparison to the label’s AW offering but not too much – we’re talking about a British summer after all. So it seems fitting that the show was styled with leggings, macs and parkers, both long and cropped.

MARIOS SCHWAB

As a fellow Austrian, I’m always glad when Marios Schwab does well! Not that I was ever disappointed. For next season, expect a neutral palette shot through with soft lilacs and mints. Although done in a different way (smaller mesh, less sporty) his net overlays reminded me of what Alexander Wang showed the week before in New York. Is this enough to call it a trend? In this collection Marios explored the concept of revealing and concealing. His woman felt very strong to me.

PAUL SMITH

Paul Smith’s show was what he does best. His suggestion for SS12 is menswear-inspired womenswear. Just like with Margaret Howell, this is exactly what I want to be in on a daily basis. I love this laid-back, nonchalant way of dressing.

ACNE

Acne have really pushed their boundaries this season. I love their oversized, interesting proportions and the shoes, the shoes are amazing. I’ve written about me love for brogues and Chelsea boots before so it’s hardly a surprise that I’m already in love with the pair from look 11 (second from left).

PETER PILOTTO

Ah, another Austrian to count on! How cool are those folded halternecks? I also liked the scuba element (mostly the way armholes are cut and the prominent black zippers down the front) that was introduced towards the end of the show.

ANTONIO BERARDI

Antonio Berardi abandoned his usual body-con shapes a little – but not completely – this season. His collection sets hard against soft – futuristic, sharp tailoring against light, airy materials.

PRINGLE OF SCOTLAND

Let’s have a look at Alistair Carr’s first collection for Pringle! With no previous knitwear experience he managed to approach the task without (m)any preconceptions of what it should be. That left the label with a new take on twinsets, namely a rather oversized version of them. Carr also introducted cardigans that you can (un)button in the front as well as the back. Cute!

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Christopher Kane can do no wrong, can he? When you think of brocade ‘cool’ is hardly the term you come up with to describe it. But Kane manages to make it look and feel beautiful and light. His prints remind me of flowery wallpaper and there were a few pieces that looked like the hologram stickers we all loved so much in our childhood. I know I was fascinated. This is also the first time in forever that I liked any kind of shiny material, I usually find them tacky. How does he do that?

ERDEM

Erdem worked within a beautiful palette of mostly blues this season. Compared to previous collections lots of skin was exposed in unexpected places like the spine. Many dresses were cut off the shoulder. On the whole the show reminded me of a very pretty garden party.

MARK FAST

Scream if you wanna go faster! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Style.com’s Maya Singer wondered if Fast ever considers the woman who is supposed to wear his clothes. Which is funny because I think it’s one of his, if not the, most wearable collections to date. I have never been a fan of his skin tight creations which is probably also why I’m not feeling Faster by Mark Fast. But here I liked the flared knit skirts and ruffles which felt very fresh to me. The styling of the show with Jean Harlow inspired hair was spectacular and added a certain elegance that wasn’t there for me in previous collections. This season also saw Mark’s first foray into non-knit.

TODD LYNN

Todd Lynn is another steady favourite of mine. I just enjoy watching him improve with every season. Or maybe improve is the wrong word. I just love how he started out almost too edgy but his talent was obvious from the start. He then went on to hone his vision but keep his signatures. Even this season he continued to soften his clothes while keeping them unmistakably Todd Lynn. The jewellery (a silver safety pin) was designed in collaboration with Shaun Leane who famously worked with Lee McQueen.

GILES

So far Giles has been too ‘out there’ for me but I really liked his SS12 collection. It seemed very original – as always – but somehow a bit more grown up and wearable. White, silver, lilac, red dominated the palette. The show started off almost ethereal and got more and more expressive as it progressed. The clothes were simply beautiful and I think a Mad Men influence was felt in the silhouette.

MARY KATRANTZOU

To wrap LFW up, let’s see what Mary Katrantzou put on offer for next season. The designer stayed true to her signature prints and I love how they appear to be three-dimensional in some cases! Many necklines were asymetrical and the show was mostly styled with metallic shoes with I thought worked exceptionally well with all the colour. Mary seems to have worked on her silhouette which may have made her collection the most wearable to date.

Just like yesterday I would love to hear your thoughts about my picks. What did you love or hate?

Next week, I’ll finally get to the Milan and Paris shows! I cannot wait for Chanel, Celine, McQueen!

---