I wasn’t invited to London Fashion Week – there must have been a problem with my phone and the postal system or something – but the live streams and daily reports left me gagging to get up close and personal to some designer collections, so I hot-footed it to the next best thing: London Fashion Weekend.
Designer Discounts
The website preview of the designer discounts on offer hadn’t filled me with joy. In fact they’d left me prepared to be a fashion-spectator rather than shopper, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that current season pieces started from just £5. Yes £5! There were some huge discounts from top-name designers and I managed to pick up a cute Luella rabbit-print t-shirt for £25 and a nautical red Elizabeth Lau cardigan for £30. Season-essential bargains that more than justified the £40 ticket price.
Somerset House is the perfect venue for the event and the stalls in the galleries, tent and side rooms were well laid out and signposted. I only had to queue once, and that was for Vivienne Westwood’s Red Label collection, which was well worth the short wait.
Despite my fears that eating would be frowned upon at such a fashion-focused event, there were several food and drink spots, with a glass of wine just £4 and champagne £6 – cheaper than a lot of places in London.
There was also a Superdrug nail bar, Elizabeth Arden makeover area, style seminars and a Toni & Guy salon, all of which were buzzing.
On the Catwalk
Depending on which ticket you went for, the day included a catwalk show, championing three of the current season’s top trends and Betty Jackson’s spring/summer collection.
Wanting to take some photos, I started queuing up about an hour before the show was scheduled to start and managed to get a front row seat. A nice burst of Neil Young from his Buffalo Springfield days underscored spring/summer’s spotlight on vintage Americana before the show started and it was great to get a feel for the Fashion Week experience.
The first collection, called Candy Rock, was full of nudes, lace, chiffons and silks, highlighting the season’s pretty, soft and feminine focus. Swallows and Amazons was a mix of Americana, nautical, Alice in Wonderland and tough leather pieces that was so eclectic I struggled to see why the trends had been grouped together in the first place. Vintage Glamour put floaty pastels, brights and sequins with adorable bags. And Betty Jackson’s collection was a celebration of all things feminine, pairing bright socks with courts and kitten heels for a look which the show’s stylist highlighted as key.
Top Trends
Americana
Denim dresses were everywhere; the best arguably Antipodum’s cargo design and Elizabeth Lau’s tunic with cute heart-shaped feature button. Prairie styles were also key. Reem had created a gorgeous stall set with wallpaper and jugs, focusing on neutral colours and natural materials. And Irwin and Jordan were selling a very pretty cream maxi dress with lace detailing, as well as a cute yellow and white gingham maxi, just one of many gingham pieces on offer, with Luella, Vivienne Westwood and Antipodium among the other designers to champion the style.
Biker
DKNY and Boru Aksu’s collections were full of leather pieces, designed to toughen up feminine bases. As well as jackets with fur and fringe detail, tops and waistcoats were also plentiful and leather bodices embraced the underwear as outwear trend.
Alice in Wonderland
The Alice in Wonderland micro-trend makes up part of the wider focus on fairytale romance, with floaty and lace materials in pinks and nudes to be paired with lace tights and socks and shoes.
Vintage
Inspiration has been drawn from the fabulous Sixties and Seventies again this season. Eley Kishimoto’s stall was bursting with vibrant psychedelic and floral prints and was well placed next to Deborah Bouain Vintage, offering gorgeous bags and accessories from the same time. And the Seventies maxi dress seems set to be a season staple as well as a festival favourite, with Ducie among a number of designers working with the style.
Natural
It was back to basics for many designers with nudes, creams and beiges, jagged cuts and natural materials being used to creating simple yet stunning pieces. Reem nailed this look.
Nautical
A cute and sophisticated trend made up of military tailoring and Riviera pieces. Eley Kishimoto’s gorgeous white navy jacket looked like it was made to pair with Sass & Bide’s white trousers while Current Elliot’s casual nautical smock took inspiration from the yachting scene.
Favourite Designers
Luella
One of the most popular stalls, it seemed that everyone wanted to buy up a slice of fashion history. As well as her glorious array of must-have bags, my favourite pieces included the purple gingham top with lace cup detail, ditsy floral print dresses and pink frill skirts. So, so pretty.
Elizabeth Lau
Another essential designer for those that love all things girly and pretty. With cute floral print dresses, Riviera cardigans and Eighties’-inspired polka-dot pieces, it was a room full of loveliness; and affordable loveliness at that.
Clara Francis
This designer creates beautifully intricate jewellery, the season’s most enchanting pieces including gemmed hot air balloon pendants and fox charms.
Marilyn Moore
Quintessentially English prints, tea dresses and floral-detail knitwear perfect for yummy mummies. Cath Kidston eat you heart out.
All images © Jo-ann Hodgson for BitchBuzz.com