The curtains have finally drawn on London Fashion Week FW ‘20. Seeing a shift towards showy, in-your-face silhouettes with a “bigger is better” mentality, ‘60s mod prints and deconstructed winter knits with cutouts, the fashion capital promises a tonne of exciting new trends next season.
Artful crafts were also prominent throughout LFW, from fabric manipulation in the form of twists and knots that added interest to grungy plaid shirts at Burberry and Simone Rocha to spectacular dramatic frocks at Roksanda. Get in the know regarding the biggest trends from LFW by checking out our round-up below.
Deconstruction is a huge recurring theme we saw echoing throughout the LFW presentations. At Simone Rocha, romantic frocks were crafted through elegant draping with sporadic twists and knots across the chest, satin ribbons at the waist and chunky braided knits slung across the shoulder. Burberry showcased a series of elevated grunge looks that paid a cheeky nod towards the ‘90s aesthetic of wearing flannel shirts tied over the waist. Chalayan led with a more polished approach, dressing oversized tailoring with matching tonal neck piece knotted to the side.
Another trend we saw at LFW was bold and striking geometric prints reminiscent of the ‘60s mod era. Flowy bias cut slip skirts with a checkerboard pattern were teamed alongside graphic tees at Preen by Thornton Bregazzi; the same black and white check print rendered magnificent structured coats, skirts and gowns at Erdem. And at Christopher Kane, a structured dress with geometric proportions and oversized contrasting triangles stole the show, vividly capturing the eclectic energy and shape-focussed dressing of the ‘60s.
Rethinking the construction of winter knits, designers from Victoria Beckham, Richard Malone and Christopher Kane are slitting, slashing and splicing knitted sweaters for FW ‘20. A relaxed oatmeal sweater at Christopher Kane featured large cutouts at the shoulders, giving rise to an off-the-shoulder silhouette held up by an attached turtleneck collar. Richard Malone opted for a sportier look, designing a couple of chunky ribbed sweaters with cutouts on the underarms and hips. At Victoria Beckham, a soft toffee-coloured sweater featured slits on the sleeves, and was layered over a blue striped shirt, brown thigh high boots and a woollen pencil skirt.
When it comes to proportions, it seems that the designers showcasing their collections in London can unanimously agree: Bigger is better. Oversized voluminous dresses ruled the runways at LFW – from JW Anderson’s trapeze coats and texturised dresses with bulbous hemlines to Molly Goddard’s dreamy gargantuan sunlight yellow tulle confection. Roksanda also made a smashing statement with colourblocking: a sleek and powerful fiery orange column gown fitted with contrasting deep purple panels, huge flouncy ruffles bulging out as sleeves, and a floor-length cape trailing behind elegantly.
Scattered across the runways of both NYFW and LFW, leather shirts are a definitive trend to look out for next season. Well-tailored with sharp, astute cuts, leather shirts in shades of wine red, dark brown and burgundy stormed their way down the FW ‘20 runways. A sleek and dressier alternative to your usual button-up shirts, leather shirts serve as an edgier go-to for chic office dressing.
Richard Malone took to utilitarian dressing with an oversized shirt paired with leather shorts; Roksanda had a feminine number with a braided collar, giving rise to pleats that boasted the lustrous, buttery soft texture of the leather; Rejina Pyo showed off a cropped chocolate brown blouse that’s sure to be an Instagram hit – it featured decorative buttons, a modern square neckline and romantic puffy shoulders.
