LONDON FASHION week closed yesterday on a high with the general consensus that it was one of the best in years.
It was a dressier and more grown-up season with some longer lengths, new takes on prints in ice-pop colours and flyaway fabrics with a lot of references to the 70s. Snakeskin, silver and flashes of gold added glamour, but were not overstated, though terrifyingly high shoes often toppled the models.
The menswear collections showed their mettle too, with contributions from ever-innovative Topman Design as well as from a hip young Irish menswear designer JW Anderson. He showed a short film with his collection of a couple in each other’s borrowed clothing and is already enjoying commercial success with his new womenswear range and zany accessories stocked by Liberty.
In a dramatic finale and to mark his 25 years in business Ozwald Boateng, known for his contemporary takes on bespoke tailoring, officially brought the week to an end with a show at the Odeon in Leicester Square featuring 100 models on the catwalk who then walked en masse to Savile Row.
Apart from that, the catwalk presentations were less about grungy venues and arty theatrical entertainment and more about clothes for real people. For that alone, it was a refreshing week with wearable collections full of colour optimism and confidence. Expect some great spring temptations.