LONDON FASHION WEEK AUTUMN WINTER 2022: The Mid-Week Report

by Cecile Paul · Published February 23, 2022 · Updated February 23, 2022

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4 Designers, 4 Takes on History:

ROKSANDA Introduces a ‘New Normal’ for 2022,

ERDEM Pays Tribute to 30s Burlesque Berlin,

RAF SIMONS Creates a Sharp Futuristic Aesthetic, and

PREEN Teases with Youth Culture of Yore.

All Image Credit London Fashion Week and Participating Designers

A kaleidoscopic quilted ballgown – at Roksanda

The action mid-week during London’s most fashionable five day period on the calendar was intense with catwalk shows, presentations, appointments and events from over 131 designers, the atmosphere palpable. To say the city has been heaving with, and breathing, eating and sleeping all things fashionable would not be an exaggeration. Quirky and experimental, as boho and glamorous as always, London is putting its most fashionable foot forward in showcasing young and upcoming designers as well as giving the stalwart heavyweights its world renown for a platform to strut their stuff – digitally or live.

Some of the stalwarts of London fashion – Vivienne Westwood, Temperley London and Simone Rocha (check out our reporting on these on Pynck.com) – had presented their collections mid-week, but there was so much more to be experienced on day 3 and 4! We’ve rounded up our ‘favourite favourites’ and invite you to enjoy them here!

ROKSANDA

Very seldom in the past have we spotted anything remotely utilitarian in a Roksanda Ilincic show. But rules are there to be broken and the queen of colour blocking and sensationally vibrant glamour and elegance has offered a few ‘everyday’ slacks, jackets, jumpsuits and layering pieces for throwing on or taking off as required by our day-to-day chores. After all, we’ve just been through a couple of years of pretty much staying put and got used to those trusted and comfy loungewear pieces we’ve been living in … Well, Roksanda realized this and decided to give these workhorses in our wardrobes a face-lift.

Mind you, these trench coats, raincoats, ponchos and sportwear pieces come from the ultra-elegant Roksanda stables and as such contain a good dose of the designer’s colourful vocabulary. Oversized duvet coats, parkas, tracksuits with billowing sleeves, snowboarding gear and moonboots were all part of this new repertoire. ‘Old’ Roksanda was still there, in a vast geometric patchwork-quilt gown inspired by her friend, the artist Eva Rothschild. Parties and evening-time events may still be a tad on the back burner, but Roksanda is adamant that we should look perfectly sensational as we do our grocery shop too. Moon boots on, then!

A fluid, technicolor dream-dress – at Roksanda

A sleek camel-coloured dress with leaf green ankle boots – at Roksanda

A dreamy emerald green printed dress with a practical jacket – at Roksanda

An elegant daywear ensemble – pleated trousers and quilted details on the coat – at Roksanda

Sportswear – a rare sight! – at Rocksanda

Protective gear and moonboots – at Roksanda

The queen of colour blocking at work – at Roksanda

Artful textures and interesting colour combinations – at Roksanda

A poncho a-la Roksanda

A voluminous yet shapely kimono-style dress – at Roksanda

ERDEM

Moraglioglu Erdem delivered one of the most unforgettable collections we’ve had the privilege to experience to date, and believe me when I say there have been many breathtaking past offerings by Erdem …

But somehow the theme of this Autumn Winter 2022 collection – Berlin’s forward-thinking cultural ambience in the Thirties – paying homage to the nightlife and cultural happenings around key painters, performers and photographers of that extraordinary era, was very special. Cross-dressing and attending gay and lesbian bars were at the order of the day in Berlin in the Thirties, and Erdem managed to perfectly capture the free spirit and invigorating essence of these fascinating and talented cabaret-esque characters. This collection is nothing but pure unadulterated theatre.

The clothes, the stars of this show, mirror the ‘Dirty Thirties’ and pays tribute to its bohemian thespians to perfection. Their glamorous opulence is toned down by an undercurrent of decay and unravelling that one experiences when you visit your favourite vintage emporium. Sequin dresses are slashed open, fringes on skirts and dresses give the effect of fabrics disintegrating and separating, heavy black beading seems to pull dresses to the ground as if by sheer gravity, studs – like bullets, are sprayed across a simple grey suit. The dusty, faint floral prints on the dresses are nostalgic and sentimental, the lace fragile and see-through, the colour palette inspired and avant-garde.

A negligee-inspired strappy sheath embellished with beads – at Erdem

A stunning old gold dress with cascading beads – at Erdem

A shiny bra-lette adds the burlesque touch to this ensemble – at Erdem

A shimmery Thirties-style headpiece and scarf add glamour to this nostalgic dress – at Erdem

Serious glamour and theatrics in this dress with its accompanying studded black gloves – at Erdem

Demureness and glamour in this fringed skirt and prim top – at Erdem

Thirties glamour toned down somewhat by a pair of sturdy shoes – at Erdem

A stunning chartreuse suit with its nostalgic oriental print – at Erdem

Faint florals and frills – at Erdem

Pure perfection in this white-and-black printed dress with its large collar and cuffs – at Erdem

Transparent layers of lace over a simple minidress – at Erdem

Heavy embroidery and silver beading on a nude background (Perhaps the most beautiful dress at all of London Fashion Week AW 2022!) – at Erdem

Burlesque beauty – lace, polkadots and leather – at Erdem

Thirties-inspired glamour in this gold sequin dress with its black lace overlays – at Erdem

A rose-encrusted creation – at Erdem

RAF SIMONS

A legendary designer and one with a twenty year career that spans from stints at Jil Sander, Dior, Calvin Klein to an unprecedented honour as co-creative director at Prada in 2020, has always been one to fuse outsider youth apparel with traditional office wear. This ethos has brought him a huge cult following. This time the designer went a step further in challenging his loyal admirers …

This Autumn Winter 2022 collection is sharp and metaphorical – trousers are pleated, coats are elegant and jackets are cut in a traditional way and yet… there’s something a little uncomfortable about the bird-like caps and close-cut capes, the PVC maxi dresses and the suits that are undoubtedly aimed at inviting social commentary. (Raf Simons allegedly was inspired by Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs and incidentally, and fascinatingly, Vivienne Westwood, in her show that took place on the same day, cited another of Pieter Bruegel’s ‘The Fight Between Carnival and Lent’ (1559) as their inspiration … talk about great design minds thinking alike!)

The silhouettes of Raf Simons’ collection are sharp, the colour combinations deliberate and controlled, the textures glossy, shiny, fuzzy, clashing and somewhat kinky, featuring a variety of textiles: velvet, nylon, wool, nylon and PVC amongst others. There are a few pieces with graphics scribbled over them, but for the most part the collection was purist and restrained … in a decidedly and uniquely Raf Simons way, that is.

Watch Raf Simons’ show here:

A close-cut cape and matching peek cap in teal blue – at Raf Simons

Royal purple wool over beige vinyl, the cape tied with a black necktie – at Raf Simons

A bottle green vinyl jumpsuit – at Raf Simons

A beige vinyl ‘nightdress’ – at Raf Simons

A texture clash in this silhouette with its visor-slash cap – at Raf Simons

Bright purple wool and black velvet – at Raf Simons

PREEN

Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton showed their Autumn Winter collection at Heaven, a London nightclub. A rather befitting venue, as this collection is all about youth culture and a timeless youth, where creativity is at its peak, a time where nothing is impossible, where a liberal spirit prevails and where life is literally about living for the weekends! Oh, and about dancing the night away … which is why the designers at Preen used the students of the English National ballet School to ‘dance’ their collection.

Historic youth movements of every era and guise featured here – from Mods and Modettes to the New Romantics, the Suedeheads to the Blitzkids. But this was no catalogue of meticulously documented period pieces! The designers put their own spin on historic inspiration and concocted a special Preen version for 2022: the colours, prints, combinations, textures and shapes spoke a new language, a delicious hybrid of what has been, perfectly gelled with what is, and what could be. Vibrant, exuberant, mesmerizingly bold and bohemian, this collection is a brave and above all, wonderfully creative and joyous, a collection that calls for one thing: a good party.