Giles showed a strong collection yesterday at London Fashion Week, a case of a confident designer—Giles Deacon—creating for confident women. Deacon was not afraid to be bold, with his use of blacks and whites, feathers, corsetry, and fresco prints.
Julien Macdonald’s show, inspired by actress Juliette Lewis, at One Mayfair upped the glamour stakes, with knitwear and gothic-themed dresses leading on to adventurous gowns that would suit a wearer keen on pushing the envelope and making a splash on the red carpet.
There was, however, a lot of fur, in stoles, trim and lining.
Again, the designer’s aim was to design for a confident woman—Macdonald himself calls his designs ‘high octane’.
Mark Fast’s knitwear was sexy, knitted into cocktail dresses and floor-length gowns, combining some of his designs with leather this season. There was a play with volume and layering, to great success, as Fast stuck to basic black for a good part of his collection.
Basso and Brooke’s surreal prints livened up their autumn–winter collection, with flowing sleeves and dresses that detracted little from the colours, which were earthy (browns, khakis and maroons) and neutral.
Erdem, meanwhile, had more fun with colours, being inspired by Claude Monet—as seen through the eyes of Jackson Pollock. The impressionist painter’s influence was obvious, but there was more distortion in the prints—designer Erdem Moralioglu cited ‘pretty mistakes’ as one of his inspirations.
There was a greater experimentation with velvet and embroidery, but Erdem kept to classical cuts for his blouses and flowing gowns.
Giles
Julien Macdonald
Mark Fast
Basso & Brooke
Erdem