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Four Decades of Riveting Fabulousness at London Fashion Week! Come to the Birthday Bash in a Transparent Frock, Add an Oversized Bow, Pile on the Faux Fur and Voila! Let the Festivities Begin.

At Temperley London

Image Credit London Fashion Week, Vogue, WWD and Hypebeast

The heavyweights at London Fashion Week unequivocally pulled out all the stops in a week that saw the likes of Burberry, Simone Rocha, Erdem et al give us a solid taster of what we’d be wearing come Autumn 2024. To boot 2024 commemorates the 4^th decade of London Fashion Week with over 40 shows and 15 presentations – a visual feast of epic proportions, and some celebration it was!

We were given a peek into the key trends for the next season – some were quintessentially British and quirky, other trends we’ve seen gradually gaining fashion momentum and maturing over the past few seasons at the respective fashion weeks across the globe.

As for the key accessory of the moment – it has to be the bow! We saw this frivolous statement party piece at Erdem, Molly Goddart and Richard Quinn in all guises, sizes and shades.

Faux fur has been appearing in most winter offerings over the past few years, but this season it was properly put on a pedestal: the likes of Roksanda, Burberry and David Koma rocked this cosy trend, as did Simone Rocha.

Sheer and flimsy transparent chiffon layers were showcased at Simone Rocha, David Koma and Eudon Choi – another trend we’ve been keeping a keen eye on over the past few seasons.

Statement prints made a bold entrance – Erdem, Ahluwalia and Sinead Gorey ensured that printed surface design can look as effortless in winter as it does in summer.

It goes without saying that LFW wouldn’t be LFW without the avant-garde and the experimental, and indeed the quirkiest of forward-thinking design was bravely on show, particularly showcased by the students of the legendary St Martins.

These trends – classic and avant-garde – will inevitably find their way into the high streets and into our wardrobes – look out for them! But for now, sit back and enjoy our pick of the best of the shows.

TEMPERLEY LONDON

Alice Temperley presented a kaleidoscope of bohemian West Country-influenced pieces at the fabulous Claridge’s Hotel. It was a seriously glamorous affair.

Leopard prints in every delicious shade, Temperley’s trademark sequins, teeny weeny bias cut slip dresses, bell-sleeved frocks, metallic velvet sheaths, tuxedos, sumptuous silk house coats and thigh high boots were the backbone of a collection that was, above all, self-indulgently joyous.

These are uber sexy pieces – but at the same time they oozed a mix of understated flamboyance and opulent vintage luxe. It was like being invited to the ultimate boho chic party in town (think Kate Moss and Sienna Miller) and being dressed just right for the occasion. The Western-inspired paraphernalia – the embroidered shoulder pieces, frilly ‘madam of the saloon’- polka dot dresses, the bows and statement hats give the pieces that last authentic kick. Just in case you didn’t clock the theme.

At Temperley London

At Temperley London

At Temperley London

At Temperley London

At Temperley London

At Temperley London

At Temperley London

At Temperley London

At Temperley London

ROKSANDA

Watch Roksanda’s show here:

High drama ensued at Tate Britain where Roksanda Ilinčić showed her highly anticipated collection. The collection was inspired by Le Corbusier’s murals at his cabin in the south of France. The colours, the shapes and the forms of these pieces were certainly closer to works of art & architecture than simply fashion – albeit exquisite fashion.

Stunning sculptural gowns that twirled and swirled with oversized piping rubbed shoulders with classically-draped Greek goddess dresses. Oversized zips formed part of the embellishments, as did waist-cinching belts on the silhouetted 3-piece suits.

The floaty and the swishy was cleverly juxtaposed with neatly tailored suits on the runway. Artful hand-painted surface design was seen on asymmetrical gowns – a feature we’ve seen many times in Roksanda’s collections. A standout piece is the dreamy chartreuse Cinderella gown with its twists and turns and bustiere top.

At Roksanda

At Roksanda

At Roksanda

At Roksanda

At Roksanda

At Roksanda

At Roksanda

ERDEM

Erdem Moralioglu’s tribute to opera singer Maria Callas was bold and theatrical, just like the icon herself. Says Moraglioglu, “I was inspired by Medea and the life of Maria Callas, she is an example of woman and femininity that fascinated me. It’s like the phoenix that is reborn from its own ashes. In the collection I tried to capture and translate her gestures and the way she wore clothes into my clothes using drapes that fall and caress the décolleté, majestic robe manteau, and silk pajamas which nevertheless maintained continuity with her attitude both in her professional and private life”.

This is a feminine collection above all. Shawl dresses, gowns with long trains, marabou feather coats, bejewelled shoes, sheer dresses with ruffles, coats with triangular sculpted collars, oversized bows on dresses, pyjama-style co-ords with velvet trims and Moraglioglu’s signature vintage-inspired floral dresses were just some of the pieces showcased at the British Museum.

Moraglioglu’s signature prints and 1950s silhouettes were seen on coats, dresses and pyjama suits. Endearing and nostalgic, this season’s offering yet again reaffirms that this designer creates for women, and the women who wear his creations feel just as special as the icons who inspire his collections.

At Erdem

At Erdem

At Erdem

At Erdem

At Erdem

At Erdem

At Erdem

At Erdem

At Erdem

At Erdem

At Erdem

BURBERRY

Watch Burberry’s show here:

London Fashion Week – and the world – held their breaths for the highly anticipated Burberry show under the creative direction of Daniel Lee to get underway.

The collection is unabashedly British, in every quirky detail. Think English country set, think classic countryside dressing – the duffels, the bomber jackets, the ‘Barbour’ coats, the leather car coats, the waistcoats and scarves, they were all there, but all came with a quirky twist. The bomber jacket, for example, was entirely constructed from fringed wool, the car coat had exaggerated plaid wool button stands embellishments, the trench coat came with chunky shaggy fringe hems, V-neck jumpers were daringly low cut and scarves were maxi with their fringes sweeping the floor…

Long leather skirts came with sexy one-button fasteners to expose plenty leg, so did trousers with their oversized zips. Boots were skin-tight or sagging groundwards in fashionable folds. Add to all of the above some oversized furry hold-alls, dirndl skirts and the famous woven Burberry plaid peeking out from under hoodies and sleeves, and you have a fair picture of the fabulous whole. A palette of khaki green and brown tied it all together and bright red tartan made the neutral colour scheme pop. Oh, and scarves doubled as hoods – a new trend!

This is undoubtedly utilitarian outerwear, but oh-so-covetable and so ‘now’. Think traditional Burberry mixed with a hint of grunge, and you’ve nailed the look.

At Burberry

At Burberry

At Burberry

At Burberry

At Burberry

At Burberry

At Burberry

At Burberry

SIMONE ROCHA

Watch a snippet of Simone Rocha’s show here:

Dublin designer Simone Rocha filled St Bartholomew church with her now iconic fashion: ‘The Wake’ is what she chose to name her latest collection.

Rocha’s signature punk Victoriana silhouettes were yet again at centre stage, but this time she focused on how mourning gear acted as “… a uniform, a security blanket” and went to great lengths to explore the role of undergarments and pieces that were closest to the skin, used as comforters during traumatic events. In fact, some models carried the ultimate comforters, 3-D soft toys.

A whopping 50 different looks were featured in Rocha’s show. Nude tulle short suits, their jackets topped with faux fur and embellished with sequins, shared the runway with loose-fitting satin ‘wee willy winky’ nightdresses with oversized bows and sheer faux fur-hemmed capes. Corsets were sported underneath many of the see-through tunics.

Ice blue and pastel green featured as key colours, looking sharp against the soft and cosy mid-brown faux fur. Standout pieces in the storyline most certainly were the faux fur coats and dresses with their sequin embellishments. Tumbling earrings completed the looks.

At Simone Rocha

At Simone Rocha

At Simone Rocha

At Simone Rocha

At Simone Rocha

At Simone Rocha

At Simone Rocha

At Simone Rocha

At Simone Rocha

At Simone Rocha

MOLLY GODDART

Watch Molly Goddart’s show here:

This AW 2024 collection from a designer with a very strong signature look, simply delighted.

Molly Goddart blatantly admits that she gives women (and men) the green light to indulge and overdress – and this offering with its unabashed deep, bright colours and voluminous frilled tulle skirts does just that. The colour combinations in each ensemble are inspired – take for example the lipstick red and baby pink ensemble complete with two-tone red and pink brogues, or the symphony in deepest blackberry and lavender – simply edible!

The silhouettes haven’t changed from previous seasons – they remained voluminous and shapely. The season’s key trend – the bow – features in many pieces as does contrasting piping as seen on coats.

All in all, this is simply a joyous celebration – and how befitting that it coincides with London Fashion Week’s epic 40^th birthday!

At Molly Goddart

At Molly Goddart

At Molly Goddart

At Molly Goddart

At Molly Goddart

At Molly Goddart

At Molly Goddart

At Molly Goddart