LONDON FASHION WEEK Spring Summer 2023

by Cecile Paul · Published September 20, 2022 · Updated February 27, 2023

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From HARRIS REED’s Madcap Theatrics, MOLLY GODDART’s Fantastical Tulle Creations, TEMPERLEY LONDON’s Floaty Heirloom Frocks and DAVID KOMA’s Leather-Clad Mermaids to ERDEM’s Mysteriously Veiled Divas and SIMONE ROCHA’s Voluminous Sculptural Silhouettes … London Fashion Week has been an Eclectic, Moving Feast for the Eyes.

Mirroring the mood of the past week – at Harris Reed
Image Credit London Fashion Week, Instagram and Vogue

An event that momentarily and precariously hung in the balance against the backdrop of the sombre atmosphere around Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, London Fashion week inevitably saw the odd cancellation and a few designers rescheduling their shows. However, on balance a great deal of the proceedings went ahead as planned, especially work by young up-and-coming designers.

We caught up with a few of the heavyweights whose incredible creations left us gasping for air! Here’s our little hand-picked selection of some of our favourites at London Fashion Week’s Spring Summer 2023 offerings. Sit back and marvel in the excitement, creativity, and incredible artisan skills surrounding each piece!

Art Nouveau-inspired sequins – at Temperley London

TEMPERLEY LONDON

A collection in two parts really, Alice Temperley’s eloquent offering for Spring included her trademark sumptuous and fabulously embellished floor-sweeping gowns – this time complete with capelets, also twenties-inspired rose-gold sequined maxi and mini dresses with delicate wing-like sleeves, all-in-one sequined catsuits in beautiful shades of lavender, coral and midnight black – and as a complete contrast, dapper wide-legged tuxudo suits. The combination of black and sunshine yellow was to be seen in many places, as were pops of bright red.

Summer (photographed on a beach on a delightful sunny day) translated into exquisitely embroidered, fragile floral dresses in tulle and chiffon and knitted twinsets. Quirky pleated ‘lampshade’ hats topped off the ensembles in great style. The yellow and black/brown theme continued from Spring into Summer, and similarly pink, red and accents of brown together with the occasional natural shade and the odd pastel were thrown in for good measure. As ever, this is the ultimate girlie boudoir collection, with umpteen must-haves for the faithful Temperley aficionado. (Confession: speaking for ourselves, the list is long!)

Watch Temperle London’s video here:

A quirky little bucket hat and top-stitched suit – at Temperley London

Sunshine yellow and sea shell earrings – at Temperley London

A flimsy embroidered frock – Temperley London

Bold embroidery on this tiered dress -at Temperley London

Pops of the season’s red and green – at Temperley London

Stripes for the seaside! – At Temperley London

An exotic print on this belted dress – Temperley London

Twenties-inspired magic – at Temperley London

Stunning embellishments on this yellow and black sundress – at Temperley London

Floaty, floral and feminine – at Temperley London

A striking co-ord in fine houndstooth – at Temperley London

The unbeatable combo of red and shocking pink – at Temperley London

The ultimate dress for Spring 2023? At Temperley London

MOLLY GODDART

Molly Goddart’s beloved voluminous sculptural tulle silhouettes with their clashing colours, maverick prints and sumptuous textures were as inspiring as ever. Ruffled gowns came in knitted jersey, frilly tunic dresses wowed in their wild colour combinations, transparent apple green neon tulle created a layer over stripy swimsuits and oldie-worldy printed black and beige fabric made for a romantic interpretation of the trademark silhouette. Colour combinations, as ever, were an intrinsic part of the design ethos, and the key colours of the season – pink, lemon, green and tangerine – shone brightly in their respective ensembles. Maverick touches in accessories were the ruffled sling bags and must-have turquoise cowboy boots!

Shapely volume in creamy off-white – at Molly Goddart

Apple green tulle frame a stripy swimsuit – at Molly Goddart

Ultra-feminine in polkadots – at Molly Goddart

A striking colour combo: shocking pink, neon green and a pop of turquoise – at Molly Goddart

One of the season’s key colours: tangerine – at Molly Goddart

Frilly frivolity – at Molly Goddart

Oldie-worldy cuteness – at Molly Goddart

One simply can’t ever have enough tulle in your wardrobe, can you? At Molly Goddart

HARRIS REED

Harris Reed is one of the designers who deliberately rescheduled their showing due to the unforeseen circumstances this past week. For all the doom and gloom around t was a show that celebrates all things cheerly, glam and joyful. It was filled with the likes of hobble skirts, stunning hats and headpieces, maverick oversized polka dots, theatrical gowns with exaggerated collars and sleeves, sculptural silhouettes, fishtails and enormous drapes that most certainly demanded a good grasp of engineering! We loved it for all the fun and frivolotity, the tongue-in-cheek madness and, well, the utter ‘London-ness’ of it all!

Watch Harris Reed’s show here:

Boudoir-esque splendour – at Harris Reed

Sculptural and shapely in black & white – at Harris Reed

Artistry par excellence! At Harris Reed

Oversized polka dots and flares – at Harris Reed

An antique silver and rose gold fishtail dress with spectacular proportions – at Harris Reed

Side bustles and a striking headpiece – at Harris Reed

Turquoise bondage! – At Harris Reed

DAVID KOMA

David Koma managed to effortlessly combine two unlikely bedfellows: the gritty urban environment (featuring biker culture) with the natural world (featuring elements of ocean life). An uncanny combination, but somehow it works wonderfully well! Heavy black biker’s jackets, leather thigh-boots, skin-tight leggings and chainmail dresses rub shoulders with Little Mermaid-esque ensembles complete with starfish accessories, fantasy metallic rainbow micro-minidresses, accompanying shimmery thigh-boots and macramé knotted feather-hemmed fishnet dresses draped over boob tube tops. Our standout favourite piece? Probably the one-legged black catsuit with its strategic cutouts and badass leather jacket!

Macrame fishnet and feathers – at David Koma

An asymmetrical catsuit and biker’s jacket – at David Koma

A lavender Little Mermaid – at David Koma

Gritty embellishments – at David Koma

Hologrammatic magic – at David Koma

ERDEM

ERDEM’s demure ‘brides’ in their veils of sheer tulle and organza looked ethereal and otherworldly. The brand’s trademark beloved jacquard fabrics worked their magic yet again to give a slight retro feel to the collection. Some silhouettes were overtly reminiscent of the fifties, with their nipped waists, strappy shoulders and voluminous tulle underskirts, others were sleek and sheath-like, evoking the twenties. The softest of pastels, predominantly overtones of yellow, made for a collection that would be awesome to wear on a bright Spring day. A particularly striking piece is the three-quarter sleeve dust coat in buttercup yellow and cream, with its antique silver embroidery. Simply exquisite!

Watch ERDEM’s show here:

Fifties-inspired – at ERDEM

Layers of tulle and delicate embroidery – at ERDEM

A sheath dress in peach with its sheer overlay of organza – at ERDEM

Fabulous drapery – at ERDEM

A romantic ballgown with fifties overtones – at ERDEM

A striking dustcoat in jacquard with a gauzy over-layer – at ERDEM

SIMONE ROCHA

Simone Rocha’s characteristic baby-doll dresses took on a more combative appearance with heavy strapping, oversized khaki bomber jackets and metallic sheeting. The voluminous ‘milkmaid’ shapes remained, with tulle and lace peeking out from underneath many of the striking ensembles. Sleeves, as are by now one of the designer’s pet trademark design features, were full and ruched and veiled headpieces in the most delicate of lace crowned the heads of many of the models. A very interesting design development is the use of (one of the season’s key trends)metallic foil to create crunchy, tactile multi-layered mini and maxi dresses.

Watch Simone Rocha’s show here: