LFW 2015 Summary report: Favourite Shows

Dear readers,

I am sure you were all as excited as I was for LFW, which was filled with marvellous collections and designers. Although I wasn’t able to go  and see all the collections I had initially planned to, the ones I did witness were fantastic! As you may have already realised, I like to start my posts with a story or an inspiration, and who better to introduce my LFW’15 review post than the iconic Twiggy (shown in the featured image)! This British model is known for her thin build (thus the nickname..) and her androgynous look featuring large eyes, long eyelashes and short hair (what a doll, am I right?). In fact, Twiggy became such a household name that in 1966 she was named “The Face” and voted British Women of the year. Much like LFW, Twiggy gained recognition worldwide, being featured in France, Japan and the US, and in iconic covers such as Vogue and The Tatler. Needless to say, Twiggy is a big part of fashion, and the fact that her tomboyish effortlessly-cool style is STILL being replicated by thousands millions of women worldwide (for instance her pixie cut has been seen in stars such as Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Lawrence, Kaley Cuoco etc) reflects how much she inspired and influenced women in fashion nowadays. In summation, Twiggy is the epitome of British (and International) super models, and her prominence in fashion makes her the perfect icon to introduce my favourite looks and collections from this years’ LFW. With this, I invite you to take a look at the highlights of LFW – Oh, and don’t forget to write down some notes of the main fashion trends, ready for the next time you go on a shopping spree!

20th February

1. Tom Ford

In Ford’s collection this season (as well as in every other season) his women are elegant, chic, and sexy. Despite these mostly dark palette designs with fringe, boots, and fur garments I feature here (because these happened to be my favourite), the collection also includes a lot of leopard print, alongside patchwork jeans and braided necklaces. Overall, he presented a really good collection – which in the end, was worthy of a standing ovation!

2. J JS Lee

For this collection, Jackie Lee was reportedly inspired by her childhood (especially the memory of her mother hand-stitching garments – which was greatly illustrated in her collection). Indeed, the designs feature plenty of quilting and fuzz – indicative of a fun childhood, surely! There is also a good amount of sexiness introduced into her collection, which is always good, coming from a designer who usually takes more masculine approaches to her clothes. Here is what the designer had to say: “I’d like to describe this woman as a bit different and on the eccentric side. She has tomboyish characteristics but as a woman she has a feminine sensitivity”.

21st February

1. Julien MacDonald

This years’ MacDonald designs were wildly popular (with stars such as Taylor Swift and Kim Kardashian wearing his designs, straight off the runway to the BRIT Awards). His clothes this season will definitely turn heads; they are edgy, but not too edgy; sexy but not too sexy – i.e. just the right amount of everything! Like many collections, this one lies more on the gothic side of glamorous, featuring seductive embellishments and ‘to-die-for’ silks. This season JMD really displayed a wide array of skills – from different textures (PVC, lace), to different silhouettes and techniques! Overall, a really successful collection.

2. Simone Rocha

The first words that come to mind are: dark, historic, romantic. This season, Rocha focused on creating very abstract designs focusing on large floral motifs, pearl chokers, and oversized ruffles. She also evoked the romantic element of Rococo aesthetics by including ethereal sheer dresses. There was large variation in her designs, but with similar inspirations: dark, naive, red, and pink vibes. One minor criticism that has been pointed out is that her collection was perhaps too extensive – one can nevertheless argue that she wanted to showcase how much she has grown since her first MA collection!

22nd February

1. Issa

For this season’s collection, there was a new creative director for Issa, so it is always interesting to see how the collection changed! A lot of things are new (which is understandable!) but O’Hare kept Issa clients happy by only modifying the brand’s signature draped jersey dresses by adding an asymmetric hem. I really liked this collection, especially that the clashing prints (e.g. 1st and 2nd photo) went really well together.

2.  Temperley London

  

This season, Temperley presented a collection with a strong boheme and nomadic feel, which is manifested in its jacquards, animal prints, and full-length colourful knits with geometric patters. Overall, I really liked the designs presented; from the bold floral embroidery on velvet and sheer chiffon to the wrap front trousers and backless jumpsuits. The designer effortlessly creates garments that translate easily from day to evening wear, giving you not only a luxurious, classy and chic look; but also a bohemian, confident, and relaxed vibe. It was interesting to see women of different ages model the designs too. This is what the designer had to say: “I wanted to have women of different ages, with personalities. That felt right.”

3. Sophia Webster

  

This season, Sophia Webster presented accessories that were too cool to ignore! Her collection reminds us almost of a joyous circus club filled with fun combinations and colours! As for her shoes, Sophia gets inspiration from Gwen Stefani’s No Doubt era; she explains: “I loved her ska references – I was obsessed,” Webster confessed. “I once went to see her in concert and I fainted I was so excited” – (Me too Sophia, me too). Overall, a really fun collection!

23rd February

1. Burberry Prorsum

First of all to explain the name Burberry Prorsum. The luxury fashion house has introduced a new tripartite system, where high-end, high-cost evening wear for fashion gurus will be under this label, Prorsum (which mean Forwards in Latin; You’re welcome.) In this season’s collection there was a lot of pattern, patchwork and print presented. We also see a lot of heavily fringed ponchos, and whimsical folk dresses coupled with super cool leg-lenghtening suede patchwork boots (which I still can’t seem to figure out where they end!). The whole collection exuded a very exotic-bohemian chic vibe: colours were deep, dark, and romantic. Overall, this collection reminded us of the 60s and the Summer of Love! NB: the collection also included men’s designs, not included in this review. 

2. Giles

Words that come to mind: drama, dark fashion, wizardry, charm. Giles presented his gotchic (yes, I made this word up. A combination of gothic and chic) Victorian oriented designs, filled with an equal amount of sinister and stupendous! His collection had a lot of crisp ruffled collars, extravagant gowns, and theatrical details! Overall, a very fresh and cool collection! Well done Giles

24th February

1. H by Hakaan Yildirim 

Despite this not being my favourite collection, the designer does present a wide array of clothes that can be suited for everyone’s taste, and that are well made. The neat sexy dresses that Hakaan has become famous for were present, as well more masculine and directional pieces (and a range of cosy knitted ensembles!)

2. Ashley Williams

Ashley Williams presented a bold, edgy collection this season, perfect for the more eccentric ones! The girl wearing this is somewhat a rebel, cool, bold, but not afraid to wear pink and heels! I found that the combination of colours and patterns were interesting, as well as the cute hats!

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To summarise, LFW was filled with immense talent and style, and after this I am sure you will all want to renew your closet (myself included!!). As in my review of NFW, there were many more fabulous collections I could’ve included, but I just selected SOME of my favourites! If you disagree with my choices, or think I missed out some critically sensational collections, don’t hesitate and leave a comment below, I look forward to reading them! As usual, I leave you with a quote..

“Being young isn’t about age, it’s about being a free spirit. You can meet someone of 20 who’s boring and old, or you can meet someone of 70 who’s youthful and exciting. I met Fred Astaire when he was 72 and I was 21, and I fell in love with him. He certainly was a free spirit.” – Twiggy

Love,

Mimi ♡