With all of London and much of the world captivated by the monumental passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the pomp and ceremony surrounding her funeral, London Fashion Week went by with far less fanfare than other years. For a few days following Her Majesty’s death it was unclear whether the event would proceed at all, but proceed it did, with many designers choosing to honour the beloved monarch in their presentations – unsurprisingly, black was a mainstay.
But while the mood may have been reserved, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. A fitting tribute to a woman famous for her immaculate dress sense and love of colour, the runways were replete with fun fashions and many a wearable trend. So if you missed the action amid all the other goings on, here’s a recap of what you’ll be rocking this summer…
LEMON MERINGUE
A summery colourscape if ever there was one, the runways were bursting with citrus hues from Rejina Pyo’s lime green looks to Molly Goddard’s signature orange sherbet and everything in between. The most delicious combination by far, and one we’ll be basing plenty of our party ’fits around, came courtesy of Erdem, where pale lemon paired perfectly with crisp white shirting in a frothy-meets-fresh ode to our favourite dessert.
REEL ‘EM IN
Fashion made from recycled fishing nets has been key to the sustainability strategies of many brands in recent years, so it’s hardly surprising to see designers now taking the concept to a literal level. The ultimate neutral layering piece, expect to see resortwear’s version of mesh making its way into your wardrobe over the coming months – just be sure to stock up on sunscreen or prepare to deal with some less-than-becoming lattice-like tan lines.
FLOWER POWER
Sure, not the most directional trend to come out of the new season collections, but before you scroll past this spring/summer staple, consider that florals are a classic for a reason, and classic doesn’t have to mean conventional. Check out the digitally-altered blooms that lend a modern edge to homegrown fashion hero Emilia Wickstead’s elegant designs, or the bold, photographic treatment at Christopher Kane. For something more analogue, JW Anderson’s ’70s-inspired floral print is peak nostalgia. As for the micro hemlines, why else are we currently lasering our leg hair (and our bank balances) to oblivion?
SILVER BULLET
With Christmas and New Year celebrations already on the horizon, we were excited to see metallics make a major appearance on the runways. Universally flattering unlike its slightly trickier gold and bronze siblings, silver is the skin tone-loving luxification-giving element your summer party look needs. Slinky and sparkling head-to-toe or thoughtfully incorporated into a subtler daytime ensemble, shine bright like a diamond ’round the clock – starting now.
BUSINESS CASUAL
There’s nothing like the resort shows to have us counting the weeks ’til our office closedown period. In the meantime, we’ll be taking workwear inspiration from the designers shaking up the corporate dress code with fun tailoring – think perennial fave blue pinstripes at Helen Anthony and Toga, the former demonstrating chic tailoring and the latter a clever twist on shirting. Elsewhere, Eudon Choi gave a masterclass on colour theory, reminding us that when it comes to making your blue button-downs pop, orange really is the new black.
