London Fashion Week AW20: Burberry, Erdem and Christopher Kane among final highlights

Designers push the bounds of shape and space on final full day of shows, report Olivia Petter and Harriet Hall

(Rex Features)

They say you should always save the best till last. Well, London Fashion Week has once again followed that mantra by scheduling all of the most anticipated shows of the season within hours of one another, with industry juggernauts like Burberry and Christopher Kane on the line-up and celebrity models like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner making their first appearances of the week.

Proceedings began at the very sociable hour of 10am – the fashion crowd doesn’t do early starts – with Huishan Zhang, where almost everything was soaked in sequins, from fuchsia polo neck tops to deep sea green gloves. Elsewhere, Zhang played with texture, added trims of maribou feathers to strapless gowns and adorning full-skirted gowns with organza embellishments. Despite the bone-chilling warehouse location, it was a playful start to the day. Next it was on to Erdem, the British fashion industry’s very own stalwart of florals. This season, the Canadian designer invigorated some of his classic prints with unexpected accessories, such as beanie hats and chokers, providing an urban edge to what is typically a show comprised of traditional feminine tropes.

The sartorial set soon migrated to JW Anderson, where Alexa Chung was seen catching up with close pal, Derek Blasberg, while Sex Education‘s Ncuti Gatwa posed outside with fellow actor Michael Ward of Top Boy fame. Christopher Kane’s front row was no less star-studded, with Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams, model Jourdan Dunn and Billy Porter all present – though most guests couldn’t take their eyes off of acting power couple James Norton and Imogen Poots, who arrived in tandem, both wearing Christopher Kane, of course.

Finally, it was time for Burberry. The fourth ready-to-wear collection from Italian creative director Riccardo Tisci – a show entitled “Memories” – took place in the vast Victorian exhibition centre, London Olympia, underneath the filigree ironwork and glass roof, as the sun set on the well-heeled show goers below.

Read on for our highlights from day four of London Fashion Week autumn/winter 2020.

Erdem

Erdem Moralıoğlu loves a muse. Last season, the Canadian designer referenced the work of 20th-century revolutionist Tina Modotti, whose artistic sensibilities and communist values were reimagined by Moralıoğlu via high-neck Victorian ruffles and floral embroidery. For autumn/winter 2020, Moralıoğlu took the work of celebrated British portrait photographer Cecil Beaton as his jumping-off point.

The catwalk itself spanned six of the museum’s galleries, with guests including Courtney Love, Erin O’Connor and Anna Wintour (who slipped in 10 minutes late with her bodyguard) lining the FROW. Much like the women Beaton photographed, the woman Erdem designs for is at the upper echelons of society – the Duchess of Cambridge is among his fan base. But she has a subversive streak, too. As dramatic orchestral music bellowed through the National Portrait Gallery, models emerged in Moralıoğlu’s famous wallpaper florals, which were splashed onto mint green pencil skirts, woven into turquoise duster coats and peppered on pussybow blouses.

But the classic floral frocks weren’t styled with stilettos and blow drys as we’d expect to see them on the red carpet. Instead, models wore elaborate feather headdresses, embellished headbands and beanies (yes, beanies) with their gowns. Some were styled underneath wooden cardigans, which loosely hung off the shoulders to create an air of insouciance. Many of the florals in the show were three-dimensional, too, and came either in organza styles on chokers or were stitched onto the knitted hats.

As for the homage to Beaton, Moralıoğlu’s catwalk was topped with a silver tin foil-like material: a reference to the fabric Beaton and his family used as bed sheets in early childhood when they were impoverished. There was also tin foil tailoring, while silver also found its way onto several ruffled gowns and even some of the model’s hair was slicked back in a silver gel. But Beaton’s rags to riches story provided not just the aesthetic of Moralıoğlu’s collection, but the sentiment too. As the show notes explained: “The speed of Beaton’s and his sisters’ ascendance into society beyond their upbringing reveals the power of image in constructing identity and becoming who you want to be.” Here is a designer whose clothes serve to symbolise social mobility, even if they are worn by royalty. OP

JW Anderson

The rules of shape and space were thrown out the window at JW Anderson, who produced one of his most sculptural collections to date this season. Gone were the dresses embellished with infinity-twisted breast ropes that caused such a stir last season (though Alexa Chung arrived wearing one) and instead, the British designer focused his attention on silhouettes. Big ones.

Models including Kaia Gerber walked down the runway to fast-paced beats wearing triangular-shaped coats so wide, that they almost tickled the noses of those on the FROW. Speaking of tickling, lord knows what it would feel like to come close to the copious tinsel-like tassels Anderson scattered on top of gowns, ponchos and capes. Then, there were the bulbous oval-shaped frocks made entirely of said tassels, which made just as much of an aural impact as a visual one. Backstage, Anderson explained how volume and movement were the main inspirations behind the collection: “I was playing with a mixture of fabrics at the studio. Some we have used before and some new and it came together like a sort of collage”.

With so much fanfare going on up top, it would have been easy to miss what was going on down below. Anderson is renowned for his innovative footwear and this season, he delivered with aplomb. There were fluffy ballet pumps that came in scarlet and leopard print while elsewhere we saw square-toed camel boots with spherical heels and flats with crystal ankle straps.

Given the obtuse shapes and structures of most of the clothes, Anderson’s collection wasn’t as wearable as his work usually is, though there were the odd pieces (double-button velvet skirts and sleeveless knit dresses) that we think would fit into our workwear wardrobes quite seamlessly. And we would never turn down one of the brand’s signature chain handbags, which came in leather and, oddly, also in the shape of miniature punch bags. OP

Christopher Kane

The dualities of sex and nature have long inspired Christopher Kane’s designs and this season was no different, with the autumn/winter 2020 collection themed around the lusty Garden of Eden. The setting, the airy Mail House in Vauxhall, was modelled on the famous biblical garden, bathed in a bright green light as guests filtered in.

As for the collection, corruption and temptation were evoked in equal measure through cutouts, mesh and intricate lace panelling, which, in many cases, left the models’ bare breasts exposed. Dresses came in the form of nightgowns while gel harnesses were worn over coats and tops. One of the Garden of Eden’s most wily symbols, the serpent, was also realised in the collection via snakeskin print shoes and bags, with other animal prints like zebra and ocelot crawling all over skirts.

In keeping with the natural theme, the palette was mostly earth-based, with deep browns, purples and camels making up most of the collection bar the odd splash of sky blue or scarlet to act as a reminder that sin and surprise lurk in Kane’s bucolic Eden. Elsewhere, we saw angular A-line skirts covered in brash harlequin prints with leather bodices attached to the most unlikely of garments, such as high-neck maxi dresses.

And just in case the symbolism passed you by, models stomped down the runway along to Frankie Vaughan’s “Garden of Eden”, which featured the words “Garden of Eden” almost 10 times in total. OP

Burberry

Gigi Hadid on the Burberry catwalk. (Rex Features)

Riccardo Tisci has become known for the vast magnificence of his catwalk shows. From the Tate Modern to the Troubadour, the settings in which the Burberry chief creative officer chooses to display his collections have thus far been simultaneously understated and gargantuan.

For autumn/winter 2020, it was the cavernous London Olympia that acted as the neutral yet nevertheless intimidating locale for the designer’s latest collection for the British heritage brand.

Inside, a raised catwalk of mirrored tiles was surrounded by four rows of cushioned seating. Such is the size of Olympia that the 800 of seats felt dwarfed by the negative space surrounding them.

In the centre of the catwalk, two grand pianos played by classical duo Katia and Marielle Labèque elegantly sound tracked the show, which was walked by Tisci’s usual roster of A-list models including Kendal Jenner, Bella and Gigi Hadid and Irina Shayk and watched by an all-star guest list that included Cate Blanchett, FKA Twigs and Lourdes Leon.

Named “Memories”, the collection of men’s and womenswear was inspired by Tisci’s early work as a designer, and is “imbued with references to the places he visited – from London to India – the people he met and the music that informed him at the start of his career”.

This season, Tisci’s memories saw him bring back the house’s iconic nova check, splashing it over shoes, jacket peplums, detailing and of course trench linings. The latter came in new guises, some with cropped fronts and others with folded lapels and layering that flapped as the models walked. One trench, belying the coat’s military origins, had silk wings that attached at the rear yoke and draped loosely to the floor in bridal-like trains.

As the name suggests, it was a nostalgic collection in many ways, with Nineties grunge references appearing throughout in plaid grunge-inspired shirting and velvets.

This season too, preppy references returned to the house, through rugby-style striped shirts, V-neck cricket jumpers, jodhpurs and equestrian-style high heels as the boot du jour. Fencing corseting was also worn as outerwear – a reminder that Tisci has eyes firmly on the streetstyle, which has seen revived adoration of the corset in recent years.

Burberry’s signature nova check is back (Getty)

For women, the dominant theme was one of Italian glamour – through glitz and glam, silk, leather and curly sheepskin seen in the neutral palette the house is famed for. From trousers to waistcoats and dresses, silhouettes for women were tight and body-hugging (one dress was so tight the model appeared to have trouble walking).

Contrastingly, male models sported oversized puffer coats, duffles and relaxed streetstyle garments (it does sometimes feel at a Tisci show that the women are relegated to glamour, while cool is reserved for the men). There was also a clear desire to infuse the collection with the experimental, which appeared somewhat confused, as shirts featuring collars on shoulders like epaulettes and flapping ponchos felt at odds with urban wear.

Ever the businessman, Tisci was sure to provide accessories. Mere hours before the show commenced, the latest Burberry bag, a small black structured bag in smooth black leather with gold TB clasp named The Robin, was available to shop on Instagram as part of his monthly product drops. Also featured, were futuristic Perspex sunglasses that had influencer-appeal written all over them.

And yet, despite his regular product drops and desire to maintain hype, Tisci was also keen to infuse the collection with an element of sustainability. In keeping with the eco-consciousness that dominated this London Fashion Week, Burberry announced their autumn/winter 2020 runway to be certified carbon neutral. Just as they did last season, the brand offset the fights of the guests flying in from other cities (if you choose to believe it’s possible to offset tens of jumbo jets), and they also announced they would be developing a “regeneration fund to start carbon insetting to tackle the environmental impacts of our operations”. HH