Sarah Burton brought a feminine silhouette to the Spring 2016 collection. Almost like a rebellion from the strong, theatrical McQueen’s signature, the British designer received a standing ovation.

Inspired by The Huguenots, the persecuted French Protestant sect that fled France in the late 17th century and settled in Spitalfields in London, Burton used jacquard, taffeta, embroider leather, lace and tulle in long dresses with natural waist lines. There was also long skirts and short cocktail pieces with flowers patterns. A versatile, yet romantic, line with space for little details: denim, transparency, cutouts, and ruffles in every single outfit.

Burton’s approach to couture style is a constant, never letting down the fanfare and high expectations a McQueen show comes with. It was a mix of a fairytale in a fierce environment.

Burton, once again, found a new element on the McQueen world and showed it with grace and beauty. “It’s an ode to craftsmanship, to the Huguenots who came to Spitalfields with flower seeds in their pockets,” said the designer. That was a supreme element on the collection, finding find the beauty and lightness in dark obscure pieces. Burton found the perfect way to conciliate the extremes, letting the audience taste her fairytale.

McQueen’s successor, once again, decoded the DNA of the English label and came up with a mix of darkness and light in a structured and versatile collection.

Alexander Wang said adieu to Balenciaga after three years as the Creative Director. An unpredictable collection with yards of lace, cotton and pale colors. “When you know it’s your last anything, you say, ‘Let’s take a risk,’ what do you have to lose?” said Wang. A bold choice that kept us thinking, what if he had done this earlier?

Wang’s past seasons for Balenciaga were successful in sales. Numbers were ok, creativity, not too much. Was this the reason for his departure? Probably. After all, Balenciaga is all about groundbreaking collections and luxurious pieces.

Wang, on the other hand, is the sporty, trendy, cool kid of fashion. The situation may have come as a conflict of styles and identity. However, after announcing he’d be refocusing his attention on his label, the last collection for the Bal-wang-ciaga era was more focused on a very subtle, ethereal and feminine women.

It was all about lingerie dressing, long culottes and transparency in white. Without a doubt, this was the most ornate and decorative collection of his career. Bras, nightclothes, robe jackets, and slippers mixed with racer-back cutouts where worn by the “it girls” of Hollywood –Zoe Kravitz, Riley Keough, Bella Heathcote – while “Going Back to Cali” played on the soundtrack.

A surprising and unexpected farewell collection that showed a more playful side of the New Yorker. He did what he wanted, and the freedom of knowing this was his last collection shaped a daring new look for the house. “Let’s think about it the opposite way, let’s think about fabrics and shapes that feel supple and simple, but approach them in an artisanal, couture way.” said Wang.

And he did, he designed without pressure, and with freedom. The weight is now on Dema Gvasalia, recently appointed as Creative Director for the label. We can’t wait to see what’s next.

Last week, Erdem Moralioğlu was being honoured with the establishment designer award at the annual event organized by the British Fashion Council. This was his fourth straight award. The designer, for this season, told the story of the immigrants from the nineteenth-century, focusing on expressing the depression they used to experience while arriving to America.

A personal experience, perhaps? The Canadian, born to a Turkish father and an English mother, stated the phobia and natural fear of those coming to new horizons. The collection, however, got into a deeper spectrum, it showed the fragility and innocent journey of a foreigner.

Long dresses, ruffles and soft lamé walked down the runway with a sense of drama and melancholy. Flowers, embroiders, and even transparency were accompanied by nineteenth-century references in the silhouette and volume. Simple, yet artistic pieces.

The modern style was introduced with cutouts and stripes in deconstructed blazers and skirts. As for the color palette, there was a special place for black, soft blue, printed flower and all-white looks.

With this collection Erdem celebrated 10 years in fashion, displaying numerous references, among those, the nature and historic fabrics and lines. But, most important, it defined the impressive talent of the designer behind the brand. A very organic collection, unpretentious and simple, that came together into beautiful dresses. Pieces we’ll see on red carpets, for sure.

The combination of femininity and the rough military style leads the tone for Bouchra Jarrar’s Spring 2016 Haute Couture collection showcased in Paris. In an effort to reinvent the French Republican Guard uniform, the Moroccan designer mixed and matched military elements with other inspirations as she tried to “[re]create a new world with everything counting in equal amounts.”
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With Jarra’s voiceover reading excerpts of Marcel Proust’s “In search of Lost Time” laid on jazz melodies- the collection opened with an oversized fur coat on top of white loose pants and leather boots – setting a tone for the rest of the collection’s mood.

Then came a series of military coats adorned with lace and gold brocade. Vests and satin fabrics, long tuxedo jackets and wool gabardines in whites, honey and powder grays, that set the tone for fluid dresses in chiffon. Elongated and oversized pieces with that firm military reference.

In her intent to pair both worlds: the classic femininity elegance of the female wardrobe and the traditional men uniforms, the designer found the light line between the sex barrier. A close approach to the gender-fluid trend that fashion’s been elevating. Jarrar found the perfect balance in simple details: fur necks, dandy jabot shirts, pastels and see-through white and blue lace.

As the Moroccan designer faces a new job as creative director for Lanvin, her Haute Couture collection underlined her ability to create couture looks void of excess. Simple pieces yet tailored added the right amount of subtlety to this season, with pieces ready to be worn off the runway. She made couture feel at ease and accessible.

A beauty salon was the inspiration for Gabriel Vielma, who’s showing for a third time at London Fashion Week. The Chilean designer celebrated women’s femininity in the form of tailored jackets, metallic dresses and a series of pastel colors. With modern and casual blazers, the designer approached the “power suit” by transforming it into oversized outfits in vivid colors.

The showroom, a recreation of a 60’s beauty salon displayed the “Beauty is my business” sign against the backdrop. The concept served as a scenario for models to walk around and celebrate the relaxed womenswear collection where bright yellow, pink and light green accompanied the flowing short dresses and structured vests.

Vielma, known for his eye for color, included a range of pastels, metallic and sequins while including embroidered accessories. It was a collection made for young and strong women, with particular elements –printed lions on bomber jackets- that highlighted the uncomplicated vibe of the season. Vielma brings a summer full of energy while preserving current elements: waves, of the shoulder tops, ruffles, etc. It was, perhaps, a safe strategy, but updating some elements from past season displayed a cohesive and appropriate election, even more, when the designer’s trying to stablish his own name in the industry. The importance of communicating and establishing his vision and style comes with time and by displaying his identity season after season.

​Being flexible and versatile allows Vielma to produce and translate trends into a more elevated stage. His background in Industrial design and his texture mixing are skills that stand out and put him on the list of emerging designers to follow during the latest London Fashion Week edition.

One of the first things seen at the Academy of Art University Graduation show was the long line of white lights and an inpatient crowd of students anxious to see what this year show had to offer. A long walk to the chairs that followed the cross sided runway.

The first couple of outfits came out in a rush; designer Jiaqi Lu went for blue oversized patterned shirts with simple pants in shades of blue. A mix of the Chinese silhouettes and the American style with Vans and Converse shoes.

As for the big and extravagant pieces, BFA Fashion design, student Vanessa Nash-Spangler, gave aspiring designers a lesson on how to manipulate fabrics (we saw a lot of tulles) and create a sequence of futuristic dresses in pinks and blues.

Inspired by the geometry through nature and architecture, the “GeoSprung” collection marked a transition between the pure aesthetic of the first couple of designers into a more edgy and avant-garde look. Xiuzhen Li exhibited next, with outfits in black and white. A sense of deterioration in the fabrics, the long and comfortable dresses, and a very basic mix of patterns showed the audience how layering brings certain static and romantic feeling to the collection.