Here’s a little secret for you. Most fashion bloggers have jobs or are studying too, it’s quite unusual for a blogger to be able to take five days out of their schedule to attend shows and presentations, unless they work in publishing/fashion/are freelance, and consequently get to double up for their day jobs.
In my case, I work for a Scandinavian brand that was presenting in a showroom during London Fashion Week, so where possible I was darting out to see the occasional show and then popping back to the showroom again – not ideal, and lesson learnt that next time I should just take the holiday and do Fashion Week properly – hey, ho!
In any case, here are my shots from the shows I did make it to, with a bit of a round-up thrown in for good measure. A London Fashion Week Presentation post will be with you shortly!
BORA AKSU
Every season Bora Aksu transforms the BFC show space into a sun drenched Mediterranean isle. For AW14 the Turkish designer drew inspiration from letters his mother wrote home when at boarding school in the 1950′. White collars and youthful ribboned plaits nodded to school uniforms, as did pencil skirts, formal wools and corduroy fabrics. Aksu’s collections are always brimming with nostalgia and romance, and AW14 is to be no exception. Blacks, deep blues and whites were punctuated with dewey pinks, deep reds, silver and a balmy yellow. Whimsical silks and beaded organza, sequins and feminine pleats featured amongst sumptuous Turkish leathers.
FYODOR GOLAN
When a show’s amuse bouche is an interactive skirt constructed from Nokia tablet phones dancing with images, and its finale is “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, you know it’s been a futuristic whirlwind. Fyodor Golan’s AW14 collection entitled “Crocodile” was a psychedelic urban parade of metallics, foiled finishings, sequins and Swarovski crystals. Models appeared like sirens from a derelict urban doorway, parading down the fuchsia catwalk in floor length dresses, bloated sleeved jackets, oversized hooded outerwear and intricately textured trousers. Bright pink was the principal colour punctuating sea greens and petroleum blues. Serveral male models took to the catwalk, hinting that Fyodor Golan may be testing the water for a menswear line next season. The inspiration was the designers’ travels through Myanmar and Cambodia, and the mood was other worldly.
CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN
For AW14 Christopher Raeburn created a tight collection that perfectly complimented what we saw earlier this season at LCM. Themed around the Arctic, Soviet officer’s coats had been redesigned and remade into voluminous, cosy looking gilets and outerwear. Beanie clad models came down the catwalk to the soundtrack of crunching snow and the Discovery Channel style melodies. For the first time we saw knitwear from the designer, adorned with this season’s Polar bear logo. Jumper dresses and bombers featured in orange, representing the Aurora Borealis after which the collection was named. Intricate prints of Arctic birds, ice scapes and carp fish featured on several key pieces, including a show stopping cloak complete with (faux) fur trimmed hood.
KTZ
When I was first introduced to KTZ, my initial reaction was that yes it was gorgeous, but does anyone actually wear this kind of thing? After seeing the attendees of their London Fashion Week show, I can confirm that people do. They do, and they look amazing – I have total ninja warrior envy.
For AW14 KTZ presented the usual monochromatic drama of seasons past, with the brand’s signature East meets West aesthetic. Intricate mirror details and metallic silver finishes adorned bloated bomber jackets, hooded coats and baby doll tops that contrasted with languid taffeta skirts. Gorgeous plays on texture were realised with endless layering of contrast fabrics, all bejewelled or padded in one way another. The show opened with blacks and silvers before introducing white bases decored in oversized gold jewellery, and concluded in a show stopping gold bandeau dress that glittered over matching leggings.
