Scene setting: Rejina Pyo has been renovating her house. For A/W 2019, this led the designer to consider the foundations of form and the crux of creation. She held her fourth collection on the London Fashion Week schedule in a raw venue near Covent Garden, its runway set made up of construction-inspired wooden beams and protective plastic sheeting. ‘The process really made me think about structure,’ Pyo said backstage. ‘And what clothing is really about.’
Mood board: ‘I was inspired by a time when clothing was cherished, and people bought classics that would last,’ Pyo said. ‘I wanted to bring the best of each era into the collection.’ This drawing on a diverse range of references translated into a collection featuring smart pencil skirts, silk dresses, easy tailoring and voluminous evening wear. Eighties flounce, 1940s skirt hems and 1990s sportswear. Classic shapes yes, but there was a contemporaneity to the collection, nodding to Instagram’s current penchant for colour, an off-kilter detail, a boldly hued bag, a sliver of vinyl or a sparkle of Lurex. The mix and match aesthetic and colour blocked styling, that incorporated turquoise and chocolate, lilac and sugary yellow was right on the radar for now.
Finishing touches: Pyo’s jewel box-like Olivia bag has become a signature of the young brand, and architectural bags abound outside the shows at fashion week. Her accessories had an interior design-élan, including mules with spindly heels resembling bamboo cane and objet-like handbags. ‘I always joke that by the time I am sixty I want to be making sculptures from my house in the mountains,’ Pyo said. ‘A slight change in line can really give designs a life and make them interesting.’
Rejina Pyo A/W 2019.
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The return of the bullhead: the watch design that refuses to conformLittle known outside of watch circles, but enthusiastically collected within them, bullhead watches have always been divisive. Identified by the crown at 12 o’clock, it made design sense – no digging into the wrist, allowing easier function as a stopwatch - but remains a speciality. But now, the bullhead is back
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Tour Peridot, Hong Kong’s hypnotic new barLocated on the 38th floor of The Henderson, Studio Paolo Ferrari’s latest project is a study in ‘light, refraction, and intimacy’
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Lighting designer Andi Watson on creating Mitski’s sculptural stage for 'The Land'In Mitski’s live show and new concert film, a single beam of light becomes her dance partner. Lighting designer Andi Watson discusses turning shadow, movement and restraint into the architecture of feeling
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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
