Fall 2011 Fashion Week: London

Christopher Kane Fall 2011

I really enjoyed the London shows this season.  They were bold, colorful, inventive...everything I want for spring, and yet they were fall collections.  Fashion is funny like that.  Standouts included Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane, and Erdem.

JONATHAN SAUNDERS

Jonathan Saunders's collections are very wearable--he relies on color, pattern, and styling to elevate his looks from clothes to Fashion.  Every look in this collection had a crisp simplicity that was very refreshing.  Saunders likes his woman covered up, but still feminine.  Shirts were buttoned all the way up and slim pencil skirts fell below the knee--very on-trend this season. The color blocking and silver chromed platforms gave each look a modern edge.











CHRISTOPHER KANE

Christopher Kane has become one of my favorite designers to watch.  He is not scared to be experimental, and yet he keeps his silhouettes quite modest.  This season he accented his garments with clear plastic squiggles filled with brightly colored dyes, reminiscent of fruit freeze pops.  The collection began with leather and macrame pieces, shifted to black crepe dresses (all with the bright squiggles), and ended with sheer sequin-embellished dresses.  Kane's lineup is sure to be popular in fashion editorials in the next few months.













ERDEM

Erdem Moralioglu took his girly florals to the next level in his fall collection.  Each print looked like a work of art--the blues were evocative of a Chagall painting, the greens of Monet's water lilies.  Most looks combined 2+ prints and were accented with splotchy pink/red/blue gloves.  The whole show had a dark, moody feel, unusual for a collection full of florals.