London’s fashion circuit has always been a panorama of multicultural and multigenerational designers. From highly-technical appliqué, embroidery, and couture through to its uprising of raggedy-edge and oftentimes unhinged tailoring, the city is always alive with creativity and pulsing with secret operations.

Before we take a closer look at the trends emerging in the fall collections from London Fashion Week, it’s important to trace where they come from. And in London’s case, it’s a reflection of time and the individuals who channel it. After a sleepy few years steering through life post-pandemic, the message is clear: we want to dress up. 

The brand behind the It-girl party dress and thigh-skimming mini-dresses frequently worn on the red carpet, 16Arlington is awake and well – and we’re not just referring to the bed of powdery coffee grinds on the runway. With sheer fabrics, sequinned lapels, and shiny patent leather co-ords appealing to our deepest desires, it’s evident we’re ready to make up for lost time on the social scene. 

In a similar vein, Simone Rocha takes glamour to new heights with playful bow motifs featuring throughout. There were dresses that possessed head-turning volume and sheer figure-skimming silhouettes that were inherently feminine. 

English designer and former Bottega Veneta creative director Daniel Lee debuted his first collection for Burberry after announcing a rebrand and new logo earlier this month. Hailed widely as a success, Lee’s debut collection put forward a cosy, punk-inspired aesthetic for the British heritage house.

A more unexpected recurring theme among the designers was animal monograms. For Burberry, it was ducks (which makes complete sense when you think about its history steeped in rainwear), and for Christopher Kane, it was baby chicks, piglets, and rats. The reasoning? They were his muses for the working class women he grew up around in Glasgow, Scotland, apparently. 

Read on for our favourite fashion moments from London Fashion Week’s Fall ’23 runways: