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.

Spring 2011 Fashion Week: London

Moving right along to London Fashion Week.  Honestly, this is my least favorite of the four...I can never seem to get excited about the London shows.  It doesn't help that this season Burberry Prorsum, my usual favorite from London, was a huge disappointment.  Christopher Bailey showed one dated, tacky look after another, so Burberry remains absent from this post.  My favorites for Spring 2011 were Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane, and Matthew Williamson.

JONATHAN SAUNDERS
So many designers shy away from pretty, feminine looks for spring in hopes of being fresh and unpredictable.  Jonathan Saunders instead wisely sticks with what works--crisply tailored, feminine clothes in a bright spring pallette.  He showed preppy, wearable looks, and beautiful shoes to boot.  Women will want to wear these clothes.



CHRISTOPHER KANE

Christopher Kane worked with classic ladylike shapes, subverting them with eye searing neon and laminated lace (perhaps a little reminiscent of Proenza Schouler).  The collection really comes to life with his printed numbers, which are all trimmed out in neon, of course.  The result is a beautiful, interesting collection--my favorite from London.

MATTHEW WILLIAMSON
Matthew Williamson is a master of the slightly psychadelic print.  I am a sucker for a good print, so I love this guy.  My favorites from his spring collection were the fringed numbers and flowy boho printed gowns.  Hopefully we'll see some of these pieces on Matthew's muse, Sienna Miller.

 
Next stop...Milan!