Mood board: When Michael Halpern debuted his sequined, Studio 54-centric CSM MA collection in 2016, his disco ball aesthetic gained him immediate renown. A stint in the Versace Couture Atelier followed, and given Halpern’s commercial and critical success, it’s hard to believe he’s only presented three collections on the London Fashion Week schedule. For A/W 2019, the designer looked back to the decadent 1920s interwar period, and the work of French-Russian artist Erté, who worked for couturier Paul Poiret and designed over 100 covers for Harper’s Bazaar. Inspired by the artist’s draped and opulent silhouettes, he created pieces with exaggerated volumes, and cascading sleeves: sequined column gowns in graphic pinks, scarlet duchess satin opera coats, metallic ruffled bustiers and asymmetric dresses in sunset shade floral prints.
Scene setting: Halpern has opted for both stripped back industrial venues and opulent theatre locations to convey his dramatic yet downtown aesthetic. For A/W 2019, he chose the 1927-built art deco ballroom of the Sheraton Grand Hotel on Park Lane – a serendipitous setting to showcase his collection. Stools in floral velvet populated the chandelier and balcony-lined space, and on the catwalk, tropical leaves shot forth from ornamental wooden vases.
Best in show: Halpern’s signature silhouettes are the flared disco pant and the micro mini dress. Cleverly, in terms of commerciality (and red carpet dressing), this collection incorporated a variety of dress lengths. It also demonstrated new experimentations in fabrication. A gel organza mini dress in tropical degradé tones was standout.
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Somerset restaurant Osip sets the table for a different kind of art showChef Merlin Labron-Johnson’s Michelin-starred restaurant hosts an artist-in-residence exhibition exploring form, materiality and the poetics of place
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This new foam-free camping mattress by Layer and Mazzu combines comfort and portabilityLayer join forces with sleep start-up Mazzu on a revolutionary foam-free camping mattress
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Café Kitsuné x Iittala bring Nordic clarity to the coffee ritualFinnish design house Iittala unites its modernist aesthetic with Café Kitsuné’s refined simplicity for a new mug collection, available in four colours
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‘Dirty Looks’ at the Barbican explores how fashion designers have found beauty in dirt and decayFrom garments buried in River Thames mud to those torn, creased and stained, ‘Dirty Looks’ is a testament to how ‘creativity and new artistic practices can come out of decay’, its curators tell Dal Chodha
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Tyler Mitchell’s London show explores the figure of the Black Dandy, ‘imagining what else masculinity could look like’Originally part of a visual essay to accompany the Met’s ‘Superfine’ 2025 Costume Institute exhibition, ‘Portrait of the Modern Dandy’ goes on display at Gagosian Burlington Arcade in London this week
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Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind caféWallpaper* takes a tour of the Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up in London’s Soho, which celebrates the launch of a new ‘re-edition’ accessories collection spanning the greatest hits from the Japanese artist’s long-running collaboration with the house
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Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UKAs A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
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Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019 -
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine RoseThough slimmed-down, London Fashion Week nonetheless provided the moments of creative expression the city is known for – from Ahluwalia’s ode to Africa to Martine Rose’s much-anticipated runway return
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Discover these fashion brands at London Craft WeekDuring London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
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Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London
