London Fashion Week: Day three highlights, from Ashish to Fashion East
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Your support makes all the difference.It’s the third day of shows and the five-day event is nearing its sartorial climax as designers continue to flood the runway with seriously top-notch garb.
On Sunday, there were no signs of things slowing down with a burst of big names on the line-up including Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, Mary Katrantzou and Ashish.
Meanwhile, London’s affiliation with emerging talent continued with Fashion East showcasing the work of some of today’s youngest and most brilliant designers.
Here we take a look at all the best bits from day three of London Fashion Week.
Preen by Thornton Bregazzi
Kickstarting the morning, designer duo Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton – who are partners in real life as well as business – built on their dreamy aesthetic of dark romanticism and feminine edge.
This time round, they sought inspiration from the deep-citing books like Haenyo Women Divers of Korea, Why Women Will Save The Planet, The Pearl and The Seaweed Collector.
As such, a storm of aquatic eco-feminists hit the runway with looks that quickly escalated from scuba sheaths to sequins evoking pearls from an underwater landscape.
Seen in sheer ruffled skirts, floral dresses with knot detailing, mandarin collars and leather hoods, the looks were perfectly accessorised with fuzzy additions including furry shoes, as well as netted tote bags and drawstring bonnets.
What really stole the show here though were the series of sequin-loaded dresses in pearlescent hues that were encumbered with draping, cut-out detailing and asymmetric finishes. Not to mention the opulent glitter facials expertly curated by Val Garland.
Fashion East
Lulu Kennedy’s designer initiative – which helped kickstart the careers of Roksanda Ilincic, J.W. Anderson and Craig Green – returned for autumn-winter 2018 to showcase the work of three exciting emerging designers; Asai, Supriya Lele – for whom this will be the third season they have been part of the Fashion East platform – and newcomer Charlotte Knowles.
For Asai, the collection evidently drew on his Chinese, Vietnamese and British background while paying particular attention to a clever use of textiles. Here parkas perfect for the frigid Antarctic came in sunshine brights and trimmed with fur, not to mention the deconstructed trench coats, distressed hems, oversized neck ties and handbags with nunchuck handles.
At Charlotte Knowles, the designer’s debut through the showcase was an extension of her lingerie-inspired collection from her Central Saint Martins graduation show. Experimenting with female sensuality and fetishism, there were plenty of sheer fabrics, loose strap detailings, and flashes of vibrant green set against camo-print bustiers.
Finally, Supriya Lele stuck to what she knows best with a collection that focused on the female form. While perceptibly feminine, the juxtaposition of vibrant yellow and army green gave each look an air of sophisticated edge, as did the fusion of soft sheer textiles and delicate ruching with tough leather and sportswear-inspired finishing touches.
Mary Katrantzou
For autumn-winter 2018, Greek born, London-based designer Mary Katrantzou offered up an opulent fusion of Bauhaus modernism with the ostentation of Victoriana – “Ornament is crime vs ornament is everything”, the show notes read.
Here, the queen of print explored the intermingling of the two very different aesthetics in an attempt to create a new hybrid and, the good news is it totally worked.
Originally studying textiles for interiors, Katrantzou’s Bauhaus vision was felt in the sharp, reductionist lines and slender silhouettes of sharply tailored coats, thigh hugging skirts and geometric prints.
Meanwhile, the Victorian era’s excesses were given new life in the form of sequin drapery, vintage lampshades becoming structured, cinch-waist jackets with crinoline hips and cropped puffer jackets inspired by chesterfield sofas.
Ashish
We know what to expect from Ashish by now and that’s glitter, lots of it, but for autumn-winter, designer Ashish Gupta used his platform to continue to spread a message of love and acceptance, oh and shopping.
Sticking to the brand’s habitual sparkly-loaded moniker, the collection saw a parade of rainbow-clad models appear from a shop entrance complete with shutters, mannequins and signs that read “Posh Lookz”.
Evidently inspired by the friendliest of decades – the Sixties and Seventies – the women sported retro-inspired Bollywood beehives and painted-on lashes as they sashayed in everything from wavy glitter stripe trousers to tinsel jumpsuits and floaty floor-length dresses prettified with love hearts.
The brand also continued its regard for tongue-in-cheek slogans with a clever play on financial corporations. Here Mastercard became Masterbate, Visa to Viva L’Amore and American Express was altered to read American Excess.
Soundtracked to Cher’s “Take Me Home”, the finale attested Ashish’s message of love, peace and self-indulgence.
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