Turkish designer Bora Aksu mixed Renaissance and grunge for his latest womenswear collections on Friday while Poster Girl looed to the ski slopes, as Fashion Week kicked off in London.
Aksu was among the first to present his latest autumn / winter 2022 creations, looking to 14th century poet Christine de Pizan for inspiration for his dreamy feminine dresses and sharp tailored jackets.
Models wore an array of floaty frocks in dusty pinks, cream and different shades of blue. The dresses in taffeta and tulle were frilled, ruffled, layered, decorated with contrasting black ribbons or with puffy sleeves. They were paired with pink grunge — style boots and sometimes berets.
‘This feels like different centuries meet together’, Aksu told Reuters. ‘There’s those references from early Renaissance and then there’s lots of the ’90s vibe with the make-up and grunge moment and the boots and everything.’
Poster Girl, whose clothes have been worn by Kylie Jenner and Dua Lipa, held its debut London Fashion Week runway show. Models wore ski — inspired hooded bodysuits in hot pink, furry and puffy jackets and shiny dresses.
Designer Francesco Capper and Natasha Somerville presented their take on snow boots, slit trousers at the ankles, and added their brand’s signature from cuts to tops. Their colour palette include green, orange and purple.
London Fashion Week, which runs until February 22, began as an Atlantic storm battered Britain, with the city and other parts of the country suffering significant disruption.
Like its predecessor in New York, the London event, known for showcasing emerging talent, is a mix of physical shows, presentation and get- togethers, as well as digital releases.
‘We’ll continue to see that hybrid mix because the designers have really leaned into the digital film as a mode of not only creativity but showcasing their collections’, British Fashion Council Chief Executive Rush told Reuters.
‘It has changed the shape of fashion weeks going forward’.
Demand for luxury goods has soared after lockdowns as customers splurge on high-end goods, although inflation is casting a shadow. In Britain, consumer prices rose at the fastest annual pace in nearly 30 years last month.
‘(There’s) a little bot oc caution… now we’re looking at the rising coast of living but there is a demand for fashion’, Rush said.
‘As we’re back out, we go to the theatre, we’re going to dinners again. People are refreshing their wardrobes and I think there’s a real appetite for the fashion industry’. — Reuters
