By Veronica Saroli (ArtSci ‘ 14)
Contributing Writer

What London Fashion Week lacks in time, it makes up in creativity.

London designers produced brilliant colour pallets down the runway, by honing in on the vibrant energy of the London youth scene. The shows were full of lively prints, utilizing diverse fabrics and materials to create unique garments.

Burberry Prorsum
David Bailey took viewers on a dizzying ride with his use of colours at the Burberry show: vibrant hues slowly bled into dusty shades, creating a gradient effect.

Colour was utilized in many different ways; gradient jackets, contrasting shiny and dull fabrics and unexpected colour combinations. Think fuchsia with navy blue and reds with purple.

The theme of the show was ‘corsets and capes’, as demonstrated by the opening look.

Bailey used boning to draw the material close to the body, while placing emphasis on the waist through peplums, ties, and ruching. The lengths of the capes varied, as did the materials, colours and volumes used to create them.

Jonathan Saunders
Days before his show, Jonathan Saunders was a little distraught after Marc Jacobs had shown a graphic striped collection similar to the stripes in Saunders’ line. The show, which took place at the Tate Modern Museum, was notably memorable beyond the stripes. The collection comprised of oily-metallics, sequins and gradients, taking inspiration from 1970’s era disco girls. Saunders incorporated contrasting fronts and backs with different shades, mimicking the costumes of Michael Clark’s ballet.

His inspirations played out flawlessly; the disco girl influence came across through dark, hypnotic, sequined slip dresses cut on a bias. Many of the outfits were two-sided with contrasting fronts and backs, revealing the ballet inspiration.

Meadham Kirchhoff
Meadham Kirchhoff isn’t a brand that has been on my radar, but after coming across candids from backstage, I couldn’t help but share.

The designers Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff painted a lovely picture reminiscent of opulent, sumptuous 18th century affairs. Without a specific inspiration other than ‘beauty’, the end result was nothing short of a portrait of decadence.

Hints of grunge appeared in certain outfits through a deconstructed, artistically haphazard style, though all outfits were accented with feminine bows and mounds of jewelry.

I applaud Meadham and Kirchhoff, particularly for being so unique with their subtle and elusive designs. These two are worth keeping an eye on.

Christopher Kane
Christopher Kane’s latest collection pays tribute to the sixties and seventies, boasting bright neons and wearable pieces. Christopher Kane eloquently summed up his colour scheme as “colours that make you feel a bit sick.” Well, in that case, somebody call me a doctor!

Stay tuned for more Fashion Week reviews: Next stop Milan!

Photo credits
All runway shots are from style.com; close ups for Christopher Kane and the Jonathan Saunders shot from the back are from the NYT; candid Meadham Kirchhoff show shots are from Vogue.