London edition! Get it while it's hot! Ok, I fully realize that I am completely behind and that LFW actually ends today, but there is no way can I could possibly proceed with our fashion month discussions without so much as broaching the the Britain-based collections. New York is known for its sportswear, its more pragmatic approach to clothes, as well as wearability factor, while the designers from London are never afraid to let their avant-garde freak flag fly. The city appears to be the ultimate incubator for young, ultra creative talent and they cannot be overlooked. Now, on with it!
Belstaff
I have a penchant for beautiful outerwear and just had to share the Belstaff collection because their coats were winter perfection, not to mention their biker tough-girl pieces had off-duty immaculateness written all over them. Their chic utilitarian vibe was perfect for any city slicker but would also be ideal for a cold weather weekend getaway. And I'll bet I'm not the only one whose inner voice is telling them to get their hands on (or into, rather) a pair of those giant mittens.
![Belstaff fall winter 2014 presentation collection, look book, FW14, AW14, Meghan Collison model, LFW, London fashion week]( "Belstaff fall winter 2014 presentation collection, look book, FW14, AW14, Meghan Collison model, LFW, London fashion week")
J.W. Anderson
J.W. actually cites the 1920s as a source of inspiration, but in my eyes, there was a certain nomadic quality to this collection: the dresses being reminiscent of something our ancestors would wear to travel across the land, wraps of large sheaths draping their bodies. It also invoked Japanese flair, thanks to origami-like shapes and structure, and boy were those shapes were pretty incredible, if not difficult to picture a woman wanting to wear them. At first glance, there was an apparent nostalgia to these garments, but the more you looked at them, the more they felt like something we'd never seen before, which is a feat within itself when it comes to fashion.
![J.W. Anderson fall winter 2014 runway collection, FW14, AW14, LFW, London fashion week]( "J.W. Anderson fall winter 2014 runway collection, FW14, AW14, LFW, London fashion week")
Jonathan Saunders
This Jonathan Saunders collection gave you the impression that his head was a bit in shambles when he was designing it. With a heavy dose of patchwork, the different looks did not appear to follow any fluid links. It was a little bit difficult to narrow down his train of thought, or where he wanted his woman going in his clothes. However haphazard it felt at times, somehow, though, it still came together as a whole.
![Jonathan Saunders fall winter 2014 runway collection, FW14, AW14, London fashion week]( "Jonathan Saunders fall winter 2014 runway collection, FW14, AW14, London fashion week")
Joseph
Joseph on the catwalk, yes ma'am. We all know this isn't a revolutionizing fashion label, but as a leader in luxury basics, you can just imagine the case I can make for its relevancy, right? A look book (the route they usually take) would have sufficed plenty in this case, but the walking made for the ideal showcasing of all the tassel-adorned pieces, the movement giving them a dimension only motion could. I.Want.It.All.
![Joseph fall winter 2014 runway collection, FW13, AW14, London fashion week, minimalism, tassels]( "Joseph fall winter 2014 runway collection, FW13, AW14, London fashion week, minimalism, tassels")
Mary Katrantzou
How do you reinvent yourself and keep evolving when your claim to fame consists of mesmerizing prints on dresses? In the past, it's been with shapes, fabrics, and in spite of the work consistenly being bar none, something's gotta give before the initial coup de foudre turns into ennui. Well, if Kirsten Owen opening and closing the show is of any indication, Katrantzou is on fire with her ideas and it is crystal clear that she knows how she wants to see the brand evolve. For starters, none of her pieces donned any crazy digital print design of any kind and yet there were patterns galore in the form of metallics, collages and textures like brocade, lace, voiles and appliqués. Some of the dresses were reminiscent of peering through a kaleidoscope, or even those ink blot tests you see at the shrink's office. Brava!
![Mary Katrantzou fall winter 2014 runway collection, FW14, AW14, London fashion week]( "Mary Katrantzou fall winter 2014 runway collection, FW14, AW14, London fashion week")
Topshop
In the past, the Topshop Unique runway embraced its younger clientele. More so than, say, the young, hip career girl, projecting a more teen-like sartorial sensibility. There seems to have been a little bit of a turnaround for fall 2014: the collection as a whole had no juvenile connotations. Was Sir Phillip Green's team perhaps inspired by the army of fashion-famous power bloggers who are all in their early twenties (and sitting front row at his show)? Speaking directly to them is in fact, after all, precisely how one garment can single-handedly revolutionize a season by going viral thanks to either one's Instagram account. So what is a Topshop collection with no junior notes to it? There were a handful of looks that, taken apart, could fit seamlessly in one's closet, and their cozy style suggestions were top high street contenders. But they also reminded us that they are just that: high street.
![Topshop Unique fall winter 2014 runway collection, FW13, AW14, London fashion week]( "Topshop Unique fall winter 2014 runway collection, FW13, AW14, London fashion week")
[all runway images via style.com]
Belstaff
I have a penchant for beautiful outerwear and just had to share the Belstaff collection because their coats were winter perfection, not to mention their biker tough-girl pieces had off-duty immaculateness written all over them. Their chic utilitarian vibe was perfect for any city slicker but would also be ideal for a cold weather weekend getaway. And I'll bet I'm not the only one whose inner voice is telling them to get their hands on (or into, rather) a pair of those giant mittens.
J.W. Anderson
J.W. actually cites the 1920s as a source of inspiration, but in my eyes, there was a certain nomadic quality to this collection: the dresses being reminiscent of something our ancestors would wear to travel across the land, wraps of large sheaths draping their bodies. It also invoked Japanese flair, thanks to origami-like shapes and structure, and boy were those shapes were pretty incredible, if not difficult to picture a woman wanting to wear them. At first glance, there was an apparent nostalgia to these garments, but the more you looked at them, the more they felt like something we'd never seen before, which is a feat within itself when it comes to fashion.
Jonathan Saunders
This Jonathan Saunders collection gave you the impression that his head was a bit in shambles when he was designing it. With a heavy dose of patchwork, the different looks did not appear to follow any fluid links. It was a little bit difficult to narrow down his train of thought, or where he wanted his woman going in his clothes. However haphazard it felt at times, somehow, though, it still came together as a whole.
Joseph
Joseph on the catwalk, yes ma'am. We all know this isn't a revolutionizing fashion label, but as a leader in luxury basics, you can just imagine the case I can make for its relevancy, right? A look book (the route they usually take) would have sufficed plenty in this case, but the walking made for the ideal showcasing of all the tassel-adorned pieces, the movement giving them a dimension only motion could. I.Want.It.All.
Mary Katrantzou
How do you reinvent yourself and keep evolving when your claim to fame consists of mesmerizing prints on dresses? In the past, it's been with shapes, fabrics, and in spite of the work consistenly being bar none, something's gotta give before the initial coup de foudre turns into ennui. Well, if Kirsten Owen opening and closing the show is of any indication, Katrantzou is on fire with her ideas and it is crystal clear that she knows how she wants to see the brand evolve. For starters, none of her pieces donned any crazy digital print design of any kind and yet there were patterns galore in the form of metallics, collages and textures like brocade, lace, voiles and appliqués. Some of the dresses were reminiscent of peering through a kaleidoscope, or even those ink blot tests you see at the shrink's office. Brava!
Topshop
In the past, the Topshop Unique runway embraced its younger clientele. More so than, say, the young, hip career girl, projecting a more teen-like sartorial sensibility. There seems to have been a little bit of a turnaround for fall 2014: the collection as a whole had no juvenile connotations. Was Sir Phillip Green's team perhaps inspired by the army of fashion-famous power bloggers who are all in their early twenties (and sitting front row at his show)? Speaking directly to them is in fact, after all, precisely how one garment can single-handedly revolutionize a season by going viral thanks to either one's Instagram account. So what is a Topshop collection with no junior notes to it? There were a handful of looks that, taken apart, could fit seamlessly in one's closet, and their cozy style suggestions were top high street contenders. But they also reminded us that they are just that: high street.
[all runway images via style.com]