Fashion Circus Takes On London
Suki Waterhouse, Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne and St. Vincent at the Burberry Womenswear Spring/Summer 2016 show
By Flora Naughtie
The seasoned heavyweights, Burberry, Alexander McQueen et al, again joined the emerging hip young stars, all fighting for the attention and of the fashion elite. A first time entry to the London Fashion week diary is Mimi Wade. She is this years ‘one to watch.’ Her presentation with Fashion East (one of the many platforms that makes LFW so essential in introducing new designers to the roster) was met with particular acclaim, she was dubbed the “IT-girl designer who has re-designed the party dress.” Veteran NEWGEN designer Ryan Lo had a bold, feminine and frilly display combining Chinese popular culture with textile manipulation and earnt himself a place in the fashionistas’ diary.
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LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 21: Models backstage ahead of the Preen by Thornton Bregazzi show during London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2016/17 at TopShop Show Space on February 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images)
Other highlights included Gareth Pugh’s (80s power dressing) collection at Freemasons Hall; the models were in strong tailored pieces, styled with masks (a bit Hannibal Lecter) and long leather gloves. It was a dark, eerie vibe perfectly suited to the quirky grandeur of its setting. Young Milanese designer Manuel Facchini also stood out for brilliance in tailoring and form. He was influenced by the Gothic architecture of Michael Hansmeyer and Richard Sweeney’s sculptures. Thornton Bregazzi’s professed ‘poetry groupie’ held its own in the Preen show. This was all decedent fabrics and winter florals which were brought together in an enchanting mix of grunge and free spirited imagination. Topshop Unique had the usual cool and youthful styles, all about the notably supermodel-studded front row; Jourdan Dunn fooling around with Karlie Kloss, social media male model star Lucky Blue Smith cosying up to Kate Moss’ little sister, Lottie, grande dames Anna Wintour and Dame Natalie Massanet smiling benignly.
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LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 20: Our former ad campaign model Erin O'Connor (L) and Naomi Campbell attend the Marc Jacobs Beauty dinner at the Club at Park Chinois on February 20, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs)
Fashion Week brings with it the parties, almost as important as the shows, and Saturday night was the night the city went wild. Over at Old Billingsgate Market, Natalia Vodianova and Karlie Kloss hosted the Naked Heart fundraiser. The whole hall was turned into a fun fair, with rides and competitions, bumper cars and crazy golf. Meanwhile, Marc Jacob’s dinner at hot new Mayfair restaurant Park Chinois (Great Gatsby meets Chinese, by the way) was a hit with the style set including Georgia May Jagger, Naomi Campbell and Alexa Chung.
Next stop: Milan.
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LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: (L-R) Portia Freeman, Daisy Lowe, Laura Haddock,Yasmin Le Bon, Amber Le Bon, Tiphaine De Lussy, Alicia Rountree, Diona Ciobanu and Tash Oakley attend the Antonio Berardi show during London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2016/17 at Brewer Street Car Park on February 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Getty Images)