Highlights London Fashion Week ss2012

Some 104 shows and presentations in London in one weekend. After one week of New York fashion this seemed an unreasonable task, but journalists, buyers and photographers succeeded. And just before Milan takes off, we want to present you the highlights of London ss2012. Erdem, Burberry, Christopher Kane and Paul Smith all delivered beautiful collections which made sense and also fitted in the trends we saw already blossoming in New York.

Burberry Prorsum

Christopher Bailey was paying homage to all things natural. Skirts with high, tight waists  teamed with form-fitting tops of striped crocheted wooden beads. Woven raffia, in stripes of mustard and navy or plum and black, made super slim, high-waisted pencil skirts under cropped, cotton Parkas. There were African inspired prints for draped dresses, jackets and skirts.

 

Erdem

Erdem’s focus was again on florals, which he re-uses season after season. This time round they were  pretty: buds of cornflower-blue, lemon and poppy-red dotted, off-the-shoulder dresses, chiffon skirts and shifts.

 

Christopher Kane

To create his “ghost fabric”, an iridescent metallic floral that crackled with light and movement, Christopher Kane layered four materials including an organza made almost entirely of aluminium. He mixed it up with semi-transparent dresses patched with flower stickers, washed-out pastel satins,  sleeveless cricket jumpers and flat sandals.

 

Pringle of Scotland

This was Alistair Carr’s debut at Pringle’s womenswear.  Knits were the star, from trompe l’oeil intarsia technique that made light work of chunky herringbone. Twinsets were present too, fastened at the back for summer. There were also silk dresses patchworked together with twinset buttons.

 

Paul Smith

Sir Paul and his team know more about tailoring than any other womenswear designers, that’s why is menswear-inspired womenswear-collections always looks so stunning and perfect. And his use of color is unique.

 

Giles Deacon

The collection and show of Giles Deacon seemed a meeting of heaven and hell. The angelic looks of feathers, silver dresses and laser cuts combined with vivid red detailing to offset them. The swan became the overriding theme, featuring as it did as a print on everything from couture-esque gowns to trousers and tunic and in tiara’s. This was drama to the max.