It's the most wonderful time of the year! I can't believe that fashion week is once again upon us; it seems it was only a few weeks ago that we saw Tom Ford's seventies bellbottoms and Vivienne Westwood's Scottish independence badges on the runway. I'm beginning to notice that, despite being someone who adores the heat and sunshine, I seem to favour Aututmn/Winter trends; there's just something about thick fabrics and dark, sultry colours that no amount of florals and tulle can compete with. I adore heavy coats and fur elements, and though we often still get glimpses of these in many Spring/Summer catwalks, I'm starting to feel that there somehow just isn't the same depth to Spring/Summer collections. It's almost as if because we need more cheering up in the darker, colder months, the fashion is more eager to please us! Also taking into account the substantially increased footfall at Pure fashion trade show from September to February, this season seems set to be an exciting one. Let's get started!
Some really great designers were showcasing on the first day so I decided to pop down to Somerset House for a few hours to watch the catwalks live and revel in the buzzy atmosphere. I took with me, as usual, my trusty SLR to capture all the weird and wonderful outfits strutting around on the cobbles...
I spied: 13 fur coats, 11 examples of plaid, 11 oversized coats, 6 capes, 5 felt hats, 3 tulle skirts & 1 spaceman...
One catwalk I was particularly excited to see was Bora Aksu; I've love the delicate, fantasy touch he weaves into each garment, and his last two collections were beautiful.
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| BORA AKSU AW15 |
This collection was again very feminine, yet with the use of dark or neutral colours in conjunction with fabric overlays such as lace on leather, he manages to make floral innocence look strong and sophisticated. I also thought that the detail in the overlaying patterns was outstanding.
Another catwalk I was particularly interested in was Daks; Daks blew me away last Autumn/Winter, and though the Spring/Summer collection was lovely with sharp tailoring in clean, crisp shades, it was somehow lacking the gusto of the previous season. I was very intrigued to see if this collection would regain some of its former glory.
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| DAKS AW15 |
I enjoyed this catwalk. The pieces were strong, and it was interesting to see such a one-tone approach throughout most of the collection. The beautiful tailoring always executed by Daks was flawless and I thought the floral design was very pleasing, particularly as its colour scheme and format seemed reminiscent of the flag of Great Britain; rather apt for a brand with British roots. I did, however, not think it as strong as the previous Autumn/Winter collection. This may be due to my personal taste, but somehow that collection seems to have had such a powerful core which for me has not yet been met nor exceeded by the latter collections.
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| JEAN-PIERRE BRAGANZA AW15 |
Jean-Pierre Braganza - another favourite! Both of his previous collections were very strong and I felt that this collection was perfectly balanced as his personal style was still very prominent yet there were new and exciting elements added. I've always been a fan of his use of leather gloves as well as his continuing use of fabric ties. This collection also featured an interesting pattern which sort of looked like a cross between a geometric butterfly and a spaceship!
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| SASS & BIDE AW15 |
Sass & bide was a brand I had not seen before. The creative director previously spearheaded Daks, and I think the influence of strong tailoring is evident. This collection was rather muted with very few hints of colour, but I really enjoyed the mix of textures from metallic elements and leather to fur and chiffon. There were also some lovely metallic patterns which seemed to me reminiscent of the Art Deco style.
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| FELDER FELDER AW15 |
Felder Felder is not usually among my favourites but I actually really liked their collection this year. I felt that their use of lace and fur was interesting and a bit different, and the cuts of the garments were really polished. There were quite a lot of metallic elements coming through on this catwalk also; a future trend to keep an eye on, perhaps?
Day 1 of London Fashion Week has been really fantastic. I remember being quite disappointed with a lot of the catwalks in September (though looking back now I do think I was being rather fussy!), so I wasn't sure what to expect this season but if yesterday was anything to go by then I think we're in for a really exciting week!
Let me know what you thought of the collections in the comment box below and see you back here tomorrow for an update on day 2!Labels: art deco, AW15, Bora Aksu, collections, Daks, fashion, Felder Felder, fur, Jean Pierre Braganza, lace, leather, LFW, London Fashion Week, photography, sass and bide, Somerset House, street style, style, tulle
