Ruffles, Florals and Jewel Tones: Updates From London Fashion Week Spring Summer 2019

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blog, Burberry, Christopher Kane, David Coma, Erdem, fashion, fashion designers, fashion trends, fashionweek, inspiration, LFW, londonfashionweek, springsummer2019, SS19

Before we state anything else, let us say this- cherry red is the new color of the season for SS 19. When Prada and Salvatore Ferragamo go overboard with it, we know there’s good reason to start using it in our collections too.

Which brings us to the other thing we love about London Fashion Week in general, and this year in particular. Unlike the clean-cut lines and definitions of other showcases, LFW is all about leveling the playground and providing equal opportunity to both established designers and newcomers alike. This is why so many new trends come forth here- it is just a different perspective.

Here are some key lessons from LFW that all retailers can follow:

1. Bending, not breaking the rules: Halpern Quinn is all about sequins, but other shiny things can follow suit as well. Burberry is known for their iconic checks, but they can be adapted. Brands are very conscious about moving away from their statements entirely, but they do know how to play within the boundaries and create something unique. In fact, this is what sets a good brand apart from the rest- the ability to see itself with stark clarity.

2. A touch of nostalgia: New doesn’t always mean doing away with the old. For Victoria Beckham who marked a decade of her collection at both NYFW and LFW, the choice was clear. Nostalgia in motifs and elements can be an excellent way to rehash an old collection and make something new and spectacular.

3. Not too streety: Street styles are great- they’re comfortable, cozy and very easy to maintain. However, fashion houses at LFW disagree. They did their best to take clothing away from the streets and into couture without losing the very aspects that make street-style so desirable. Looks like the time has come to put street-style and athleisure together, and let the good clothes be as they are.

4. The loud colors: A Londoner, until yesterday, would never be caught in a bright coat. Indeed, a black or a tan overcoat is a wardrobe staple that never goes wrong. Blame it on the political circumstances in the world, but everyone wants to express themselves today. True to London style (where coats, let’s admit it, are needed ten months in a year), the overcoats are getting brighter and chirpier, not to mention bolder. Yep, time to get spotted on the Underground.

5. The full look: Not so long ago, the real intent behind a fashion week was to showcase individual pieces, heavily dressed up. Patrons would then face the challenge of taking the different elements and creating their own looks with them. Either people are bored in general, or online shopping has done its bit, but shoppable looks are all the rage this season. You might do well to design a collection with a few different complete looks than to leave it to the consumer to mix-and-match. Fashion as a form of self-expression is, for one, giving up the hot seat to fashion for comfort and speed.

Meanwhile, we’re not done yet! What is a fashion week if we don’t give you the lowdown on the designers we loved, and hopefully you did too? Here are a few that stood out.

1. J.W.Anderson: One of the few street-styles we saw on the runway, and yet, here’s a collection that manages to look so chic! We’re in the same league as mesh any day, and we know it is good when we have these looks for a company.

2. Christopher Kane: Form meets high fashion in this collection for so many different body types. We can already see the boxy mini dress on a tall woman, and the warrior suit is a must-have for the power dresser who makes a statement at work and the after-party.

3. Burberry: We’d die of nostalgia if we didn’t spot at least one piece in the Burberry collection with the trademark lines and colors. Luckily for us also, Burberry is going experimental- with colors and form. Needless to say, this is one work wear collection people will be waiting for. The proof is in the reinterpreted animal prints.

4. David Coma: Never one to shy away from bold silhouettes, this one. Can just a juxtaposition of black and white give rise to such stunning outfits for work and beyond? David Coma’s collection proves that it indeed can. We love that cutout details are making a comeback. Nostalgia, anyone?

5. Erdem: Making a point on the shoppable looks we mentioned above, Erdem’s collection is one that you can walk off the runway and onto the streets in. We love the high-waisted pants so reminiscent of a tuxedo, and the more feminine outfits with stunning details. The fascinators, we’d probably save for the next royal wedding.

6. Victoria Beckham: posh spice meets everyday woman, and that’s where Beckham’s magic lies. Her clothes are as easy to pull off as they are elegant, and that’s why we’re rooting for them.

7. Mary Katrantzou: Bohemian prints have the uncanny ability of looking good on all clothes. Mary’s collection is perfect for workwear as separates, and to the Met Gala alike.

Which of these business trends do you see as easy to adapt for your brand? Tell us in the comments below.

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Supriya Ghurye is the founder and owner of Fuel4Fashion. She is a Freelance Fashion Designer and Brand Consultant helping fashion brands to create great products from idea to launch. Fuel4Fashion social links: Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram

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London Fashion Week’14: Overview – style and trends – Part 2

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apparels, Ashish, blog, Burberry, Clemmens Ribero, David Korma, fashion blog, fashion designers, freelance fashion designer, garments, Jonathan Saunders, Julien Macdonald, LFW, London Fashion Week, Mary Katrantzou, Mulberry, oxblood, Product design, Roksanda Ilincic, Supriya Ghurye, Tom Ford, Topshop Unique, Vivienne Westwood

In the previous post we have discussed about the innovative trends on London Fashion Week 2014. As we discussed earlier, the emergence of appealing trends like oxblood gave earthy looks and designers took it very seriously.

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Roksanda Ilincic’s show for LFW’14

The make-up done is pale and unappealing, done on purpose to highlight the hues of the dresses.

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Burberry LFW’ 14

 Also some designers took their geometry class very seriously and their collection was a walk down the memory lane with monochromatic styles integrated into both prints and shape. Amongst all, the most original application of the above trend was of Christopher Kane. Also Roksanda and Jonathan Saunders’s championed this trend in a rather bold way.

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Burberry LFW’ 14

Similarly many out of the box trends appeared on the ramp, these fresh pieces looked fabulous and they stirred sensation throughout the week.  Some designers lived folk lore fantasies by assembling a very highly dramatic look compiled with huge-oversized ponchos which created a hot and sizzling air on the ramp. Burberry changed course from its military inspired collection.  High earthy looks were common and the ponchos were made of scratchy blanket stuff.

Designer Mary Katrantzou shifted her focus this year from her famous digital prints and brought forward crochet-heavy embroidery which up classed the street fashion. The dresses, this week had an experimenting edge and to the surprise of many people were also very receptive.

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Mary Katrantzou LFW’ 14!

If you are thinking that only sober dresses dominated the ramp then you might wanna check out the high voltage collection that dripped glamour presented by who else than Tom Ford. His colors fantasized with the college jersey as well as the fenzy looking corporate day dresses.

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Tom Ford LFW”14

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Ashish LFW”14

Also Clemmens Ribeiro’s digital designs totally became the show stopper of the day. There was nothing in these power-packed fruity dresses that could be resented.

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Clemmens Ribero’s SS 14Played safe….

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Topshop Unique LFW”14

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Roksanda Ilincic LFW’14

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Julien Macdonald LFW’14

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Vivienne Westwood red label LFW’14

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Mulberry LFW”14

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David Korma LFW”14

The novel trends seen on the ramp were from different categories of fashion, some inspired by the trends of yesteryear while others renovated those things that were earlier not even considered to be of any use in fashion. Maybe that’s what it’s called invention. What do you think about the ‘innovation’ on the London Fashion Week? Also stay tuned for the next part in which I will discuss about the dresses that failed to impress the crowd.

London Fashion Week’14: Overview – style and trends – Part 1

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apparels, blog, Bora Aksu, Daks, fashion blog, fashion designers, freelance fashion designer, garments, John Rocha, LFW, London Fashion Week, Maria Grachvogel, Product design, Supriya Ghurye

The expectations were very high from the designers of London Fashion Week to create unique and epitome designs of fashion. I think it’s justifiable to say that they have lived up to the expectations and have mesmerized people. There were some marvel moments when designers like Maria Grachvogel created sparks with the lovely idea of dropping ink and letting it flow freely on the dresses. Remarkable entities were like the vintage handicrafts and prints and floral prints coming back to spot light alike the floral embroideries.  Apart from that the luxurious textures and men’s- wear-turned-upside-down-for-female has also taken its place in the ramp.  This year there was lot experimentation on the designer’s part and lots of Satin and slouch was used to walk past the ‘safe’ zone. Classic wow moments were when Christopher Kane, a Scottish designer used lead-free crystal to trim his sustainable dress for the World Global Firm.

Paul Smith LFW’14
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House of Holland LFW’14

Day one started with the collection of Paul Costelloe which reflected theme of Paris in the 70s. Vibrant and multi-colored, these dresses tweaked in fresh mustard and fuscia tartans and also in flashy floral prints.

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 Paul Costelloe’s dolls!  LFW’14

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Preen Spring LFW’14

Emilia Wickstead LFW”SS 14 Collection
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However in this pretty crowd of colors and dresses nobody made more dramatic entry than Vivienne Westwood Red Label’s Collection. It was not just the dresses that stole our eyes but also the tacky make-up.

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Vivienne Westwood Red Label SS14

The next hour dished straight into Maria Grachvogel’s collection at The Savoy. The theme looked like Grimm’s fairytale which featured her signature draping and prints mixed together to form a very dramatic effect. The dresses fit harmoniously in the right curves in the women’s body.

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Maria Grachvogel LFW’ 14- Gothelic hair bun

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Maria Grachvogel LFW’14-Celebrating Colors!

This blue flared jumpsuit was among the ones that stirred strong response from the audiences, mainly due to the sleek cut and monochromatic use of colors of the hair and cherry red lipstick.  With a sedated palette and basic embellishments, most of the collection worked on silhouette as a print and the color palate was muted.

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Title: Bold animal prints-Burberry LFW’ 14

Bora Aksu LFW’14
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Mirror work-East inspired- Bulberry LFW” 14

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Mulberry LFW’14

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Matthew Williamson-All grown-up LFW’14

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Peter Pilloto LFW”14

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Bora Aksu LFW”14

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Daks Spring Summer LFW”14

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John Rocha’s beautiful summer romance LFW’14

Spark of innovation could be seen on the ramp with beautiful mismatching layers to the point that it became a key trend of the London Fashion Week 2014.  Brands like Burberry, Temperley, and Peter Pilotto used altered versions of the prints and made this print everyone’s favorite.

Among all these intense looks there were also some LOL moments when One Directioners pushed through the crowd to get a glimpse of Harry Styles and his amazing hair.

To read more about the trends on LFW keep tuned to read the next post. In the meantime tell me the best element that you like?

London Fashion Week Vs New York Fashion Week – Part 1

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apparels, fashion blog, fashion designer, floral, garments, layered, LFW, London Fashion Week, New York fashion week, NYFW, pink, runway, silhouettes, Spring 14

As the Spring’14 trends rolled out on the runway, London Fashion Week sketched out delicate elegant women with a tint of pink and floral prints in its layered flouncy dresses fabricated in sheer iridescent textures and New York Fashion Week portrayed the women’s power with a reflection of its eternal beauty draped in oversized white button down shirt feminized by the contouring of body lines and intricate detailing coupled with cropped denim pants. So we decided to do a comparative study between the key trends showcased during New York Fashion Week (NYFW) & London Fashion Week (LFW).

New York Fashion Week – SS’14
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Setting the trends: INSPIRATION

London Fashion Week (LFW) showcased the embellished, bejeweled, appliquéd designs with a subtle touch of unique simplicity. Runway bloomed with the incense of floral prints which had a pink hue in its textures rendering it the 3^rd dimension. Delicately crafted organza petals dispersed over dresses, heavily embroidered floral designs stitched into satin, and sheer layers of flora fabricated into designs that revived the decades of 60’s and 70’s.“Flower prints have been done to death,” admitted Christopher Kane after his show.

Floral Extreme – London Fashion Week
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London Fashion Week : Christopher Kane – Flower motifs
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London Fashion Week – Floral print rendering in 3rd dimension.
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London Fashion Week : John Rocha – Delicate pastel floral.
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London Fashion Week : Matthew Williamson – Flower power, cutouts.
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‘Soft’ collection by Burberry &feminine romance reflected in Temperley London collection. Breeze of elegant full skirts & feminine hue swept of some gentle memoirs of 60’s, 70’s & 90’s. Some collection were said to have strong 60s references included Mulberry and Sister by Sibling, while Holly Fulton, Henry Holland and Jonathan Saunders harked back to the 70s. Thats is all about the inspiration of London Fashion Week collection showcased by various designers.

New York Fashion Week (NYFW) men-inspired oversized attire, crop pants was feminized with embellishment and detailing. Post the restrained clothing of Fall, designers painted a relaxed look with the ease and attitude of the West Coast lifestyle and iconic California beaches.”We want to see a woman cooler, more relaxed, and that’s sexy,” said Max Azria backstage before the show. NYFW appeared to be largely influenced by 20’s and 30’s.

New York Fashion Week : Marc Jacobs – Contrast color florals
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New York Fashion Week : Bibhu Mohapatra – Fluid dresses / Figure-hugging sheaths / Boxy shells / Embellished gowns
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New York Fashion Week : Prabal Gurung – use of bold colors and transparent fabrics
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New York Fashion Week : Nicole Miller – florals with abstract graphic prints
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New York Fashion Week : Milly by Michelle Smith – Paint brush feminine print with Hawaiian influences
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On the canvas of NYFW Prabal Gurung painted an “idealized women” using transparency as his tool. Miller named her collection “Rebels With a Cause,” and offered a tagline: “Power Meets Pretty.”. Francisco Costa simulated the inspiration from Basquiat, Picasso and Madonna into layered dresses.

So here we end with this insight into what inspired the designers and what did their collection personify. We will soon bring you the COLORS that will enter your wardrobes this Spring’14 in our next part. So keep reading and stay stylish!!!