David Koma: The grace and power of flamenco dance are the red thread that runs through David Koma’s S/S 2019 collection. With his modernist approach, the Spanish ruffles were translated into sculptural shapes that bought pizzazz to silhouettes. Flamenco dancer Carmen Amaya’s preference for wearing trousers to emphasise movement inspired the designer to focus on this staple. And in the hands of Koma, the polka dot became an enlarged dotty print which was seen on asymmetrical tops and a Gaudi-like mirrored embellishment on a selection of dresses.
Delpozo: For S/S 2019 Delpozo’s creative director Josep Font drew inspiration from the fresh tones of wisteria trees and Fulvio Bianconi’s Murano glass artwork. Models walked by in floral printed jacquard twin sets, delicated embellished knits and an asymmetric white graphically blocked dress. Bianconi’s glasswork was noted in the shard details on the pockets of a cropped trouser and embellishment on the gladiator sandals.
Emilia Wickstead: For S/S 2019, the evening wear-inclined designer took us back to the late 1980s. When colours were bright, shoulders were broad and no bow could be too big. The latter made an appearance in several ways, tied in the models’ hair to an enormous bow decorating a hot pink dress. Another staple of the decade that could not be overlooked is the power suit. Wickstead’s modern day version is an elegant one with bold shoulders and high waisted belted trousers made of elegant fluid fabrics. A look that was finished off with small leather briefcase-like bags and a kitten heel – with a bow of course.
Halpern: Michael Halpern has quickly become the go-to disco dresser in London; his sequinned separates have popped up all over the party pages. For S/S 2019 he stepped back further than the Dionysian decadence of Studio 54 to take inspiration from the year 1966 – the birth of youth culture. The clothes evoked a Swinging Sixties sexiness; standout were the humped-back patent cropped jackets and op-art mini dresses with cutaway sides. Everything was worn with custom Louboutin stilettos that had squiggly heels. It was as if Polly Maggoo had found herself in Annabel’s on Mars.
Kiko Kostadinov: In an intimate in-the-round setting, label Kiko Kostadinov showed its first fully fledged womenswear collection. To launch this new chapter founder Kostadinov invited Central Saint Martin graduates Laura and Deanna Fanning to create a counterpart for his menswear line. Aldous Huxley's Brave New World formed the inspiration behind the muted colours in the collection, which were juxtaposed by panelled sections of bold tones that appeared on a papery nylon jacket and a graphic sculpted dress. The futuristic feel of the garments was softened by several knitted designs, a section overseen by Deanna who has a background in knitwear. The beaded star-shaped cuffs and space-age colourful boots formed the finish touch to this debut.
Xu Zhi: Each Xu Zhi collection starts with a beautiful tale and this season is no exception. Designer Xuzhi Chen had always read the poems of Emily Dickinson but it was only when he learned more about the woman behind the poems that he decided to base his S/S 2019 collection on her personal story. The poet’s love for flowers, which she pressed and organised in a leather-bound herbarium, appear as embroidery on several garments. And as Dickinson was known to only wear white, the designer decided to create his looks in pairs. A coloured section, which was presented in the first room, and in a second space the mirroring garments in Emily Dickinson white.
Nicholas Kirkwood: For his first fully fledged fashion show, shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood staged an energetic performance inspired by the world of hacking. In a hacker’s working space, large TV screens played 360-degree views of the collection, while futuristic models showed off trainers in cyber neons, combat styles and embroidered lace knee-high boots. Fabrics were inspired by a tech nerd’s wardrobe, from puffer jacket fabrics to sporty zippers and poppers. The pearl, a Kirkwood signature, was seen on several styles and finished off the hacker’s outfit as an embellishment on headphones.
Molly Goddard: Set designer Sarah Edwards (and Molly Goddard's mother) transformed the entrails of a former Covent Garden hotel into a quirky bazaar. Guests sat on benches placed inside steel, market-stall frames, draped in mismatched tarpaulin. A stack of wooden fruit boxes, empty plastic crates and spools of string added to the souk-like scene. Goddard’s clothes appeared customarily cheerful, exuberant and eccentric. For S/S 2019, the frills were literally ramped up – ten metres of crisp cotton gathered into the hem of a dress gave it a weighty, sculptural look. Tulle was tailored; heavy broderie anglaise frill came with a custom cross stitch. The models clutched giant, ruched oilcloth bags. These are fanciful, buoyant clothes for cool chicks.
Ports 1961: Creative Director Natasa Cagalj summed up summer with this latest collection: the show opened to the sound of fizzling waves. The clothes became sensory stories of heat wave and holiday. Calmness was suggested in the boxy bonded linen suits worn with slim trousers that slouched at the ankle. Comfort – easiness – came in the cloud print camo on silk, whilst the thrill of discovering traditional craft came in the hand-woven and loomed tunics and skirts and their loose fringes. Sensual macramé vests, laces and ropes with wooden beads resting against bare skin had spontaneity and verve.
Preen by Thornton Bregazzi: Guests attending the show were welcomed with tea served in English chinaware from a wooden travellers’ wagon. The nomadic story continued with models wearing mixed-print asymmetric dresses, Victorian ruffled tops and deconstructed knitwear. Airy tailored looks made of silk and nylon were combined with a metallic harlequin checked top and the peripatetic feel of the collection was finished off with comfortable brown leather sandals and hiking boots.
Rejina Pyo: Even before London-based designer Rejina Pyo showcased her debut LFW show for S/S 2018, her voluminous dresses were a front row influencer favourite. For S/S 2019, the designer proved her versatility and dynamism with a collection fitted for any woman’s summer wardrobe. The options were multifaceted: a zesty velvet bowling shirt paired with a polka dot skirt and floppy hat, silk pyjamas with fluffy frills, a prairie girl gingham dress with bow details, a delicate multicoloured scalloped dress. Last season Pyo debuted a standout sculptural handbag; her spring accessories will also make for fashion week fodder next season. We’ll take the pillow like velvet clutch and the oversized buckled shoulder bag.
Richard Malone: Sustainability is intrinsic to rising talent Richard Malone’s aesthetic. The designer amped up his eco-friendly activism for S/S 2019 experimenting with Econyl, a nylon created from recycled nylon and using sumptuous silk from the Italian manufacturer Taroni. The designer drew on a colour palette inspired by ‘micro-fibre cloths’ you can buy on Amazon, offering an exuberant collection of ruched blazers, tie-dye pyjamas, figurative photo-print tube skirts, puffball jackets and sculptural platform boots. Zesty, eccentric and eco-friendly, what more could you want?
Markus Lupfer: The designer best-loved for his sequined knitwear took inspiration from a trip to the seaside for the coming season. Lupfer’s girlish gang wore dresses that riffed on the jollity of scoops of soft ice-cream, the prettiness of pastel coloured beach huts and the crispness of salty breeze. They stood in piles of sand and long grass, wearing party clothes in twinkling sorbet sequins, fitted deckchair-striped plissé knits and giant tulle flowers. The mood was young and fun; a sweet, sweet fantasy.
Osman: The designer presented his exuberant collection of eclectic partywear in a local community garden concealed in central London, just behind the Phoenix Theatre. He showed twists on his archival tailoring silhouettes. Sharp trouser suits shone with zebra print sequins. Signature cuts came embellished with new ruffles and cartoonish orientalist prints of wild birds perched on trees. Following on from his foray into print publishing with The Collective, there’s news of a non-fiction book in the works too. Yousefzada delivers modern glamour. A jacket of cockerel feathers, metallic cottons, harem pants in full bloom.
Mackintosh x Alyx x Nick Knight: As an addition to the collaboration between Mackintosh and Matthew Williams of New York-based label Alyx, they worked together with British photographer Nick Knight on two limited-edition pieces. The garments feature a photo painting by Knight which was created when painting with water on a light-sensitive material.
The collaboration came as no surprise. Williams explains: ‘Nick and I are both longtime fans of Mackintosh and their craftsmanship. As we have been both friends and collaborators for some time, it felt like the perfect opportunity to bring all three parties together for this limited coat.’
Kalda: Burgeoning shoe label Kalda, which counts Browns and Farfetch as stockists, presented an eclectic S/S 2019 collection, bursting with subversive details and silhouettes. Think pointed boots with a sculptural spiralling heel, 1990s strappy mules and leafy green loafers. We’ll take a pair of each.
Pringle of Scotland: The intricate knitting technique intarsia, meaning inlaid by hand, was used on a regular basis by Pringle of Scotland in the second half of the 20th century. Particularly for floral patterns which for S/S 2019 were reworked into a modern day selection of thin knitted jumpers, dresses and wrap coat. The brand’s well-known check was seen on a belted trench coat and ‘patched’ together with floral prints in an intarsia knitted dress. The archive, including knits from several eras, was brought out and assembled together to form a welcoming small Pringle of Scotland home.
Zilver: After spending time doing research on working environmental friendly, designer Pedro Lourenço returns on the schedule with his new genderless and sustainable label Zilver. At the presentation Lourenço explains that the name comes from the Dutch word for silver, a country and colour that he's both very fond of. The debut collection was inspired by American workwear and motorcross and offers classic wardrobe staples such as organic cotton basics, ethically sourced wool jumpers and a nylon dress made from recycled plastic bottles. His first bag under Zilver, a helmet bag made of organic leather was created after noticing his Parisian friends using their bike helmets as a bag.
Supriya Lele: After three seasons showing together with Fashion East, Spring/Summer 2019 is the first season Supriya Lele presented solo. Her Indian heritage and family history is a constant inspiration for Supriya, which she connects with her memories of growing up in the Midlands and the reality of everyday life. The traditional sari transforms into a knitted bra, sportswear becomes elegant and translucent silk chiffon contrasts the masculinity of utility wear. The set of the presentation, created by Amy Stickland, was an abstracted version of an Indian cloth and bamboo construction site and formed a clean backdrop for the colourful collection.
MM6: For this season’s show, staged in a building site, MM6 gave a tributary nod to the original Margiela and turned the roles around. Viewers were grouped in the middle of the space, where you’d expect the runway to be, whilst models walked from podium to podium around the public. The collection was an ode to street style and featured sections of vintage satin dresses appliqué to sweatshirts, patchwork denim and slim, well fitted tailoring. Accessories included objet trouvé-like chandelier jewellery and a slip dress becoming a handbag. The iconic Tabi boot could of course not be forgotten and appeared as socks in transparent footwear.
Richard Quinn: Since founding his label, Richard Quinn has had a strong community aspect to his work. Last year, he set up a print studio for students which offers high quality printing, yet stays affordable, and this season the designer invited art students from his high school to the show to highlight the need for more funding in art programs. The designer has quickly become known for his floral prints, which this season included a Hawaiian floral twin set and roses in every colour embellished with Swarovski crystals. The video projection of lightning clouds as a backdrop and the accompanying music by the London Philharmonic Orchestra were the finishing touch to Quinn's dark Hollywood story.
Amex Platinum House: Making its first UK debut, Amex's Platinum House popped up during London Fashion Week. The space featured a host of unique experiences available for the brand's platinum card members, including group fitness classes hosted by Equinox, a live-art luggage wall with Away's Jen Rubio and even a menu curated by Tredwells, Duck and Waffle and Hakkasan. Somewhere to recharge and refuel during London Fashion Week's full on schedule.
Pushbutton: There was a touch of trepidation behind Seoul-based designer Seung Gun Park's debut show at London Fashion Week. It's an anticipation the Pushbutton designer utilised and touched on for S/S 2019. Stifled by creativity he felt trapped inside a box during his design process, but a spontaneous scribble soon informed a successful collection of deconstructed tailoring, off-kilter feminine dresses and layered Nineties looks - all gauzy slip dresses layered over T-shirts. Particularly strong was a distinct carrot print and a selection of silhouettes with oversized padded proportions, including a mustard yellow strapless dress and a graphic, pleated pencil skirt.
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