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| Bold colours and prints with a seventies vibe dominated the catwalks, as at Christopher Kane's SS16 show in London above. Photo by Shaun James Cox, British Fashion Council |
As the Spring/Summer 2016 fashion season comes to a close, we take a look back at the highlights and trends from the catwalks with a special focus on London Fashion Week, renowned for being more experimental and free spirited than New York, Milan and Paris, our Fashion Editor Limor Helfgott makes a special report
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| 1970s at Preen. Photo: Kensington Leverne |
This year, the new location for London Fashion Week in Soho had a slightly grungier feeling to it and the collections by local designers seemed to connect to the city’s fashion scene with cool, colourful and energetic designs. Bold colours and prints were key elements and the 1970’s fever was at an all-time high. A feminine mood was very noticeable this season and replaced the androgynous trend that dominated the collections last season.
Frills, thrills and feminine silhouettes
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| Frills, futurism & vibrant colour at Fyodor Golan |
Fyodor Golan's women were as usual, fragile but at the same time fearless and seductive. The duo presented a collection inspired by futurism and collaborated with Transformers to create looks that were full of frills, vibrant colours and floral designs. Completing the looks perfectly were stacked wooden platforms by Kat Maconie that together created a sporty Geisha in geometric prints and floral printed patent leathers with neon detailing.
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| Danielle Romeril's sleeves. Photo: Jeanne-Marie Cilento |
Ruffles were seen almost everywhere and were styled in many different ways, while glitter was also part of the fun. A good example was on the Ashish runway which was filled with colourful glitter over the white flounces. Models were presented as skater princess fairies in sheer maxi dresses and tracksuits covered in sparkles and patches.
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| Double ruffles at David Koma. Photo: Kensington Levernel |
It was double ruffles at the David Koma collection, the master of flaunting the female form. In his SS16 collection, he presented layering, but not in the traditional sense, and tops and trousers were corseted or bound tightly at the waist to create the most feminine look.
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| Toga's mysteries: Alessandro Garofola |
On the Toga catwalk models meandered through flowering trees. The theme of the collection “Petals, Minerals, Squiggles” was meant to evoke the mystery of nature. Large ruffles and frills were presented alongside pleated tulle and arty prints with feminine flowing skirts. The materials were collated and bonded like seaweed on the shore, and the embroidered and printed tulle was a reminiscent of the ethereal floating colours of jellyfish. Another element we couldn’t ignore was the attention sleeves received on the catwalks, from modern asymmetric arms as seen at Roksanda and Jonathan Saunders to Victorian motifs at Erdem, flowing sleeves at JW Anderson or long fluted designs at the Danielle Romeril presentation ~ certainly a key look on the catwalk this season.
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| Khaki at Christopher Raeburn. Photo: Sam Wilson |
New season colours: yellow and green
Side by side with pastels, blue and nude, it looks like green and yellow dominated the catwalks this season and seemed to be the hottest shades. At Christopher Raeburn we could definitely spot a sea of green and olives in forms of multiple military-inspired ensembles, together with kimono wraps in yellow, blue and white. This collection didn’t join the feminine celebration on the London fashion week catwalks, and was more on the tomboy side. Bora Aksu’s collection was inspired by memories of the lush garden full of lemon, orange and pomegranate trees at his family’s country house. This very personal collection was an homage to colour and light, with feminine silhouettes and a sophisticated vintage feel to the designs. Along with the egg yellow we could see powder pink, burnt orange and fuchsia.
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| A sea of greens at Jasper Conran. Photo: Kensington Leverne |
Jasper Conran definitely went green this season with so many shades of the colour, that no two shades were the same: leaf green, khaki green, avocado green, deep green and moss green were among the many shades in light viscose jerseys, blended chiffons and silks with the prints that became his signature and dominated the matching green runway with reflections mirroring the models.
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| Sequins & embroidery at Temperley. Photo: Eeve Rinne |
While most garments were simple and wearable there was a glamorous touch with sequins and embroidered pieces, that made the muted browns and greens glimmer and shine over the models. What will make its way to the high streets is always the hottest question, but it is safe to say the colours we saw this season on the runway and the feminine silhouettes that were seen everywhere, are looks that we are happy to embrace.
