The Start of London Fashion Week

Welcome to the start of a new week, and wow, has it been a busy few days! In between work and my person life I went to seven fashion shows and three presentations since London Fashion Week kicked off on Thursday. So sit back with a cup of tea, and get ready for a full debrief.  But let’s go back a bit, in June I applied for a press badge to London Fashion Week and was delighted when I found out in July I was accepted.  As soon as September rolled around I started checking religiously for the badge which finally arrived last Wednesday with an email from the British Fashion Council starting with the words, “Welcome to London Fashion Week” and it was off to the races from there.   Like most fashion week’s, being registered as press does not give you access to any catwalk shows or presentations, but it does help in proving your accreditation when speaking with designers or PR companies in the weeks leading up. 

I kicked off my first London Fashion Week the night before it actually started and Thursday I attended the Canada Show.  This show and presentation combo was actually hosted at the diplomatic mission of Canada to the United Kingdom right off Trafalgar Square and featured 10 designers from that country.   There were almost too many to choose from but my favorites were the clothes from David Dixon, Judith & Charles, and Studio Lorem Ipsum, as well as accessories including beautiful jewels from Anastassia Sel and interchangeable cufflinks from pranga & co.  Take a look: 

Friday morning I went to Hazzys SS20 show during the morning and you may recall, I love a good ready to wear (RTW) catwalk!   The title of the Hazzys show was back to London and you could definitely see the influence with everything from the knee high socks many of the models were wearing to the abundance of trench coats.  There was a nearly even mix of male and female models (a rarity at fashion week) and you can see some of my favorite looks below, plus a full post will be coming soon.   

Later that day, after work, I used my LFW press pass actually scanning into the great setup they have at 180 Strand.  I checked out the Sustainability exhibit going on (so beautiful) and then headed to the back through a labyrinth of rooms to see a presentation I had been invited to.   The Dom Sebastian pieces were shown not in your typical catwalk runway, but rather in a presentation format, meaning the models are wearing the clothes but they stand around a set, and in this instance, switching positions or moving about slowly. You can see what I wore on Friday as well as the Dom Sebastian SS20 Collection.

Friday night I skipped the rest of the evening, opting for girls wine and cheese night, so my first show on Saturday was Wen Pan, a London based label which was launched last year.  The collection used a ton of raw textures and this carried into the set design, the runway, and even to the flowers and plants the models were holding.  As this was a Spring / Summer collection you can certainly tell the mix of muted and bright colors brought out the different materials and really embodied the season. 

Straight from the Wen Pan show I headed South (physically) to the Names presentation, which showcased half a dozen designers in as many rooms with of pieces, from men’s streetwear to ladies ballgowns.   The designers included Alicia Perrillo, Dr. Zwack’s Respect collection, Syzygy, and more and their pieces were spread out the Lancaster Rooms at Somerset House.  Usually presentations have a clear distinction between the audience and the models but this one gave you the chance to get up close and person with the designs, though I did feel bad for the models, it was close to 80 degrees and there was no aircon. 

My last show of the day on Saturday was actually three in one, with the runway located at the Victoria House.   All three brands were Chinese Fashion labels and it started with the futuristic designs from Punk Rave, into the feminine looks of Light & Shadow, and then pieces from the quite established designer, Esa Liang.  Here were some of the stand out looks (there were 60 in all): 

And Sunday?  Sunday I had half a dozen shows and presentations but opted for a real life end to the week in the country with some excellent people and a Sunday roast  – hey, you have to find that balance somewhere! (Taking a page out of Eva Chen’s book, missing show’s for playground time).    I was actually planning on skipping all the shows but remembered I had RSVPed to the VOUSSOIR launch and it was going to be held at the iconic Royal Opera House in London.  Thus,  I headed back into the city and caught the 8pm show and I am so glad I did!  Five different designers showcased their pieces and again, here were some of my favorites: 

And if you believe it, that is only a fraction of the photos I have taken in (and been in) over the last four days so stay tuned for more London Fashion Week coming soon (and Milan coming up at the end of this week!) 

Which show would you like to see covered in more detail?