Highlights of London Fashion Week SS16 By Holly Soame
Day One
Day One of London Fashion Week kicked off with a bizarre yet brilliant presentation from Zandra Rhodes, showcasing lots of fabulous colour and prints, in typical Rhodes style – in particular, a predominant pink theme for the majority of her SS16 collection.
Pink seemed to be the theme for day one at LFW. Paul Costello stuck to light pinks in simple A-line skirts and dresses, whereas Bora Aksu opted for accents of pink lace.
Fyodor Golan impressed the crowds with a fresh take on the classic summer floral. Expect to see the “new floral” on all clothing in SS16.
However, it was Felder Felder who stole the show on day one, with a mix of metallic silver pieces and elegant flamingo silk dresses.
Day Two
Day two gave a theatrical element to LFW. Hunter Original showcased their new tie-dye wellington boots and anoraks in a fittingly traditional style – via a muddy runway.
Not only was there mud on day two, there was also golf. Orla Kiely decided to showcase her colourful, 60s inspired print collection on an indoor mini golf circuit, complete with AstroTurf, and the models playing golf!
Gareth Pugh is definitely worth a mention for the wackiest runway style, with models wearing bold stripes, colour and latex, matched with caricature faces and nylon wigs.
Meanwhile, House of Holland showed a fabulous collection full of beautifully embroidered pieces, interspersed with animal print and stripes.
Day Three
Day Three saw the launch of new handbag line Hill And Friends, founded by Emma Hill, best known for her work at Mulberry, and Georgia Fendley, who was previously director of Mulberry. The collection is fun and quirky, and made by hand in the heart of Somerset.
Another quirky showcase, this time from footwear designer Sophia Webster, saw the models dressed as mermaids, hiding in giant clams and sitting on rocks.
KTZ also went for a theme, but instead of mermaid tails, opted for nylon punk wigs, to match their punk rock collection for SS16.
From the punk of KTZ to the queen of punk herself, Vivienne Westwood Red Label brought protest to day three of LFW. Westwood, a known activist, walked with the models in her anit-austerity protest, complete with placards reading “Climate Revolution.”
Day Four
The highlight of Day Four was the greatly anticipated Burberry show. Taking place in Kensington Gardens, away from the rest of LFW, Burberry yet again created something truly beautiful, from the famous faces in the front row to the 32 piece live orchestra accompanying Alison Moyet – so not just the clothes!
From Kensington Gardens back to Brewer Street, Day 4 also brought us the battle of Wall Street, as seen on the runways of New York. From the oversized white tux at Antonio Berardi to the more fitted two-pieces from Barbara Casasola, the suit (in its many guises) is definitely something to add into your wardrobe for SS16.
On the opposite end of the fashion spectrum, Erdem stayed away from the masculine look, opting instead for a Victorian-inspired collection for SS16, complete with high-ruffled necks and lace.
Day Five
The final day of London Fashion Week finished with glitter and skateboards, courtesy of Ashish. Men in dresses, girls in dresses, carrying skateboards instead of bags, Ashish SS16 was a bold, brash and defiantly beautiful collection, with tonnes of glitter on every outfit.
Ryan Lo made us fall in love all over again with his Valentine-inspired collection, full of ruffles and one of the top trends of LFW, pink. Amanda Wakely also opted for pink, seen on her beautiful dresses and skirts.
Amongst all the glitz and the glitter of the last day, one of the smartest collections for SS16 came courtesy of Anya Hindmarch. Created using major high street logos, from Boots boots to John Lewis handbags, Hindmarch put a spin on the high street in a way only she could.
