Neon
Bright fluoro shades dazzled front-rowers from the runways of Christopher Kane, Casette Playa, Zandra Rhodes and Manish Arora. Had these designers collectively taken a trip back to the acid house era? We particularly liked the fluoro-pink nails at Giles. Do wear: with a light tan and no make-up. Don’t wear: with white gloves and a giant-sized dummy.
Black and white
A classic, dramatic combination reworked by Ann-Sofie Bak, Todd Lynn, Gareth Pugh and dress label ISSA which, interestingly, dominated many other designer collections usually known for vibrant print or colour, such as Antoni & Alison and Jonathan Saunders.
Animal print
Ashish, Danielle Scutt and Manish Arora revived leopard or tiger prints, making them bigger and more exaggerated than ever. A novel new take on the theme.
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Green/blue
Kingfisher shades as seen at Ashish, Christopher Kane and a delicious muted turquoise was spotted at the chic-as-you-can-get Aquascutum show and youthful PPQ.
Statement shoes
Shoes are the new handbags, y’know. Big, high, towering, wooden-heeled platforms, punchy stilettos with a twist were seen across the catwalks. Our favourites include the studded punky heels at Giles by Gina and the awesome platforms by Eleanore Rees Lewis spotted at Sinha-Stanic.
Volume
Bubble skirts (that means a short skirt that bells out from the hip and forms a neat circular silhouette) and puffy city shorts were big news thanks to Giles, Richard Nicoll and Medham Kirchoff for Fashion East.
80s silhouette
Azzedine Alaia, the legendary 1980s designer, proved a source of inspiration for many of London’s young designers including Christopher Kane and Sinha—Stanic, as silhouettes got more body conscious.
70s spirit
The antidote to all the slim sophistication was the sassy 1970s vibe that's sweeping fashion, thanks to Bella Freud’s revival collection for Biba and Zandra Rhodes’ first collection in years.
Remember this name: Gavin Douglas
Newcomer Douglas, winner of the Fashion Fringe award, is injecting some Victorian decadence into next spring’s looks. The Birmingham-raised designer camped in student digs throughout the summer in London to get his collection finished in time. A welcome new addition to the British fashion scene, Douglas was inspired by the clothes black people wore when they arrived in the UK at the turn of the last century.
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