Yesterday was the last day of the shows before the fashion focus moves onto Milan today.
So what were the discernible themes coming out of the London Fashion Week schedule?
Soft Tailoring
Soft tailoring and fluid draping silhouettes were omnipresent; epitomised by Amanda Wakeley’s loose fitting tailoring and Temperley’s unstructured jackets. Draping fabrics were a feature of the Preen and Matthew Williamson collections; with Temperley contrasting fitted waistcoats with draping oversized jackets.
Midi-skirt
If you are going to invest in one piece to update your SS2015 wardrobe, make it a midi-length full skirt. Holly Fulton, Temperley, Roksanda and Erdem had some beautiful examples of this style.
Trousers
No cigarette pants here, the 2014 trend for tailored wide leg trousers continues into 2015. Amanda Wakeley proved to be the master of cut with beautifully tailored trousers with a sportsluxe edge; whilst Temperley embraced the theme with culottes.
Colour palette
Minimalist white and monochromes featured strongly in the collections by Amanda Wakeley, Bora Aksu, David Koma, Holly Fulton, Christopher Raeburn, Simone Rocha and John Pierre Braganza.
Whilst most designers opted for black and white, the fascination with neon was still strong with neon accents at Preen, Sibling and Fyodor Golan; meanwhile Roksanda Illincic went all out in committing to neon orange.
Prints
Stripes were a strong theme at Preen; Matthew Williamson opted for florals and ferns; whilst Temperley took inspiration from the Orient and its Japanese Shunga ink paintings. The standout at Temperley was a large lobster print on a draping coat, perhaps an homage to Elsa Schiaparelli’s famous lobster dress?
Geometric
Always a favourite with designers – see the fall/winter 2014 Alexander McQueen Mondrian inspired collection. Designers referencing geometrics in their SS2015 collections included Matthew Williamson and Peter Pilotto in their prints; whilst Holly Fulton successfully channeled this theme in her embellished dresses and printed midi-skirts.
Sportsluxe
A scouting visit last week to the Excelsior concept store in Milan confirmed that sportsluxe continues to be a huge trend, Adidas by Stella McCartney and Nike dominate the first floor. Designers at London Fashion Week who delivered on this trend included Christopher Raeburn who presented blouson jackets and his trademark parkas in his SS2015 collection, whereas Amanda Wakeley sent out her models in a more tailored version of sportsluxe.
So with London Fashion Week exiting the scene, next stop Milan!
Author Bio
Christine Babington Smith is the main contributor to the respected fashion blog www.fashionmodamode.com; she is also a Huffington Post UK blogger on fashion and style: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-babington-smith/. Christine lives in Milan, where she scouts out new designers and trends in one of the world’s foremost design capitals.
