London Fashion Week: Wrap up
Monday, Feb, 18
5 p.m.
There was a real buzz at Somerset House pre-Osman — call it the Beyonce effect. She wore one of the designer’s black-and-white jumpsuits to the Grammys just a couple of weeks ago. He’s not a red carpet designer, so to speak, and the minimalist, fluid silhouettes of this collection certainly aren’t going to change that. Loose trousers, a gray asymmetric wool dress with a pleated hem and a cashmere coat will all sell well, but it would have been nice to see a little more drama than a few brocade, lurex and gossamer lace pieces. — Richard Peckett
Tuesday, Feb 19
5 p.m.
In a lot of ways aptly represent what we look to London Fashion Week for: wild eccentricity and creative risk. So it’s fitting that their artful work kind of served as a parting note for England’s shows. This wasn’t exactly the place to go for wearable, commercial clothes. The collection was dense with challenging shapes (who can pull off those ruffled vinyl trousers?) and ideas (those strong Edwardian, Vatican and Medieval references) that wouldn’t translate easily to a morning train commute to work or even the average special occasion. Instead, their work pointedly reminded us that in an era where fashion is overrun with disposable images of unbridled consumption, it can still reach the creative heights of fine art. I love my fast trends as much as anyone, but it’s those increasingly rare moments when a collection makes you pause and think about a subject differently in the same way that a painting or work of creative writing would that fashion is at its best. — Kenya Hunt
Trending on the runway
Satin
Tinsel
