Total rebrand: 13 trends we saw on the London Fashion Week catwalks

Here's what you'll be wearing come spring
Composite Image / Evening Standard
Karen Dacre|Emma McCarthy19 September 2018

Time to reset your wardrobe - this fashion week signalled a bright new dawn for London style

Striped bare

Burberry SS19
Getty Images

Of the many defining messages to emerge from Riccardo Tisci’s debut collection for Burberry is the signature check reborn in a host of new guises — most notably as stripes (centre). Having picked apart the iconic motif, Tisci presents as a chief creative officer that is simultaneously respectful and rebellious. The motif, much like the brand’s recast logo, is a founding feature in his vision. Expect to see it on everything from bags to coat linings next summer — and for seasons to come. KD

The white suit

Victoria Beckham SS19
DAN & CORINA LECCA

Full proof that the designer turned Spice Girl has come of age, Beckham’s London debut brought with it a host of “wardrobing” options for the modern working woman. Stark white tailoring stood at the centre with Stella Tennant (right) opening proceedings in flat fronted trousers and a single breasted jacket. The look — practical, composed and relaxed in the best possible way — spoke to every woman with a longing to cultivate an air of cool whilst running for the bus. KD

The getaway gown

Roksanda SS19
Rex

She’s the woman credited with making some of London’s most adored cocktail dresses, so of course it makes sense that a sundress should turn golden in Roksanda’s hands. Toying with proportion and fabrication, the designer took a micro-break from her signature satin and silk to create a series of crushed cotton dresses which can only have been intended for the best-dressed beach bar on the planet (far right). Trimmed with bows and detailed with a sweeping ruffle, this was high fashion for high summer. KD

Cute as a button

Molly Goddard SS19
Molly Goddard

If there’s anything the fashion pack love more than a good jumper it’s a great jumper. For spring, however, we must rethink our long-term relationship to the knit as the humble cardi has emerged as a scene-stealing staple. Molly Goddard — a designer who deals exclusively in eveningwear for girls who take their cocktails with a side of cuteness — turned the cardi into a party piece. Think dinky in size, dotted with daisies and all dressed up with a ruffle skirt. EM

One-piece suits all

Emilia Wickstead SS19
Rex Features

Next spring, Emilia Wickstead will further flex her potential as a workwear designer with well-cut jackets and precise pants no longer an afterthought in her collections of red-carpet dresses. But it was a pink jumpsuit — destined to turn heads on the commute — that stuck in the mind. A hit on and off the catwalk this week, the boiler suit is the modern women’s workwear solution. Only time will tell if we’ll ever see Emilia enthusiast the Duchess of Cambridge chooses to rock one. KD

Track stars

House of Holland SS19

Nylon. There was a lot of it around this week. It hung from the ceiling at Preen, lit up Prada’s Old Bond Street store with the launch of its revived sportswear line and lined the front row everywhere else. But it fell to Henry Holland to repurpose the shell suit on the catwalk. His came decked in electric blue and banana yellow stripes, teamed with matching crop tops and worn with abs of steel. Holland also chose the occasion to make a statement with skater T-shirts. EM

Little gems

Christopher Kane SS19

Trust the designer who made Crocs covetable to put a box of throwaway costume jewels at the heart of his spring/summer offering. Delighted by ordinary things, Kane raided the Christmas cracker box to create a collection in which science and sex combined for powerful effect. As focal points on bodices or, more simply, to jazz up a smocked white shirt, Kane’s gems came thick and fast. In this, the latest instalment in Kane’s long-term love affair with the strong women who inspire him, jewels served as a powerful form of armour. KD

Return of the Mac

Ports 1961 SS19

London designers picked up where their New York counterparts left off with blue collar fabrics and classic wardrobe additions front, right and centre this week. In the hands of Ports designer Natasa Cagalj, the trench coat took on new life. Oversized and worn slung over t-shirt dresses with attitude, it’s a perfectly practical choice no wardrobe should be without. In a week in which Burberry and its new chief creative officer stole the headlines, this homage to a wearable icon served as a fitting baseline. KD

19th-century florals

Erdem SS19

Can florals for spring ever be ground-breaking? Miranda Priestly thought not but Erdem Moralioglu isn’t so sure. The designer called upon 19th- century night owls Fanny and Stella (aka Frederik Park and Ernest Boulton) who loved nothing more than dressing up in women’s clothing and painting the town red. Inspired by their progressive attitude to gender fluidity, the result was florals lifted from Victorian wallpaper, fused with colours from Nineties club flyers and stamped onto red carpet attire for the 21st-century leading lady, or man. EM

The long and short of it

Halpern SS19

When it comes to making an entrance at a party, few do it better than those dressed in Halpern. London Fashion Week’s bright spark, who has never been shy about throwing some sequins at a situation, didn’t disappoint this season with a collection which combined glittering bucket hats, gold foil flares and peek-a-boo minis. But the stars of the show were the series of asymmetric hem dresses — ideal for the indecisive party-goer who can’t decide between cocktail or black tie. EM

Puff piece

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi SS19

For anyone tired of listening to the fashion press harp on about how statement sleeves are totes a thing, I have some bad news for you because statement sleeves are still totes a thing, In fact, they’re bigger and better than ever. For those who followed advice and now have a wardrobe stuffed with ruffles, frills and flutes, your style is safe for another season. For those who don’t, invest in something by Preen — who put puff sleeves on parade — the moment it touches down in stores. EM

The contrast sleeve

JW Anderson SS19

Making the ordinary extraordinary has always motivated Northern Irishman Jonathan Anderson, who is also creative director at Loewe. Next season, in a collection which saw doldrum domesticity clash with ethereal awkwardness for masterful effect, it’s the long-sleeve dress that gets an overhaul. Cut loose to shroud the body instead of accentuate it, Anderson’s vision hinges on a sleeve in a contrasting print. Savvy style adventurers will find them all over the shops next season. KD

Silver foxes

Roland Mouret SS19

As the diverse cast of beauties marched down the open air catwalk to the soundtrack of Aretha Franklin’s Natural Woman, it was apparent to all watching that Roland Mouret — the designer often described as the “sexiest man in British fashion” — is one who knows his way around the female form. Strength, sensuality and, in the case of next season, silver — seen on dresses and shirts — topped the list of desires for the Mouret woman who, above all else, dresses to please herself. EM

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