TWO TIMES A YEAR, SEPTEMBER, AND FEBRUARY, FOUR THE WORLD'S MEGAPOLIS - PARIS, NEW YORK, LONDON, AND MILAN - BECOME THE CENTER FOR ATTRACTION OF ALL ULTRA-MODERN PEOPLE OF THE PLANET. WEEKS OF FASHION PASS, FROM WHICH LONDON - THE SHORTEST: INSTEAD OF ORDINARY SIX DAYS, IT IS ALLOWED FOR FIVE. However, at least the concentration of style here is offensive.
The "right" place
So, you ask: why this year we went specifically to London Fashion Week? How is London different from other fashion capitals? The answer is simple. Firstly, it is a city that really inspires to improve your own taste and dress with gloss. Secondly, he teaches to surround himself with beautiful things. Almost all of central London not only dresses stylishly, but also sets trends.
What is most striking is how easily the residents relate to the changing weather. If you see a girl in a Burberry trench coat and colorful Marc Jacobs rubber boots on a cloudy day, you should know that she is not from here. A real Englishwoman will go to a mini until the last ray of the sun, not being afraid to show her slender legs, even if there is a cold wind on the street. For this case, a compromise has long been invented - a voluminous vest or coat on top, and under them - leather shorts or a short dress in the Twiggy style.
Therefore, London Fashion Week should pay tribute: it is considered the most progressive, and its catwalks are a great start for beginner designers. Every six months, New York passes the baton to London the first to show the latest trends in clothing and, with any luck, to discover new talent at a level such as Alexander McQueen or Vivienne Westwood.
Fashion in the city
This year, all fashion lovers, as well as fashion editors, stayed at The May Fair, conveniently located near key shows, founded by King George V in the West End. It was he who became the official hotel of Fashion Week with all the ensuing events - breakfasts with models set the tone for the whole day, but it was even more interesting to meet Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levin and his hipster team in the lobby.
By tradition, Fashion Week caused a slight commotion in the city. Although the shows were not far from each other, I had to walk a lot due to London traffic. Comfortable shoes, such as slippers, ballet shoes and sneakers, which I wore at the shows of novice designers, preserving stilettos for masters, served as a salvation.
By the way, I’ll tell you a secret: there is an unwritten rule in London - to wear a thing or accessory from a designer whose show you are going to attend.
The bright outerwear or bags helped me to look stylish, for example, large clutches and a backpack bag trendy this season. Most of all I wanted to see the new collection of Mary Katrantzou's favorite public.
And, as it turned out, not in vain. This year, the designer abandoned the branded "high-tech" prints and decided to show her ability to work with decorative elements. Katranzu was inspired by the beauty of ancient minerals during the formation of the continents: on the models sparkled the cold shine of quartz and anthracite mixed with sulfur shades of the earth.
At her show, reminiscent of a volcanic eruption, my neighbors were buyers from Harvey Nichols Dubai, who, by the way, really love and respect the talented and friendly Greek woman. According to them, in the Middle East region the new collection will be a huge success. And they really know how to feel the mood of the region - Harvey Nichols Dubai has been selling its exclusive lines for several years.
Speaking of purchasers and VIP buyers. The value of London Fashion Week is huge for the UK: according to the analysis of Oxford Economics 2014, income from the British fashion industry in the country's economy is £ 26 billion (!). At the same time, Fashion Week alone brings to the treasury almost one and a half million pounds precisely thanks to international purchases.
Set the trend
So, what is new for designers this year? Tom Ford, who, for the love of London, even brought here the shows of his own collection from his native New York, gathered the cream of society around him - Bradley Cooper, the nominee for the Oscar, personally flew to the show, accompanying the permanent editor of Vogue Anna Wintour. Facebook and Twitter were full of messages from "live broadcast", and although the designer did not yet have an official Instagram page, tags with his name could be seen in the news feed of each fashionista.
The main theme of Tom Ford was the rock and roll chic of the 70s. The seventies were also clearly visible at the shows of Matthew Williamson and Marchesa. “Hot Summer” Matthew with exotic Balinese prints on batik was to the liking of maxi lovers, as well as the magical lace dresses of the British duet Marchesa.
A favorite theme of past seasons - sports - influenced the main trend of the current season: at the show of Peter Pilotto, Erdem and Burberry Prorsum, the girls walked along the catwalk on a flat sole, rather than high heels. The image of a woman of the next season was seen by designers as free and unassuming. The skirts at the Preen show modestly covered her knees, as Coco Chanel once loved, makeup was minimal, only decorative zippers served as accents.
London street style
It was simply impossible to ignore the street style in London, because it is a special subculture that deserves no less attention than prêt-a-porter. This year, street style really struck the imagination, especially after the glamor and excesses of Dubai. A new tendency - to be more or less "normal" - penetrated eccentric London quickly and confidently. A couple of seasons ago, the streets were literally full of psychedelic prints, a combination of incompatible colors and shapes, as well as crazy futuristic accessories. The poetry of minimalism has firmly taken hold of today's London. Even the most eccentric fashion bloggers opted for basic colors, flawless cut and an invariable cage.
By the way, on the sidelines between the shows, many expressed the opinion that the dictatorship of fashion designers, when the shows were held behind closed doors, passed, and the era of bloggers came. It was they who began to influence the designers, and their street style turned into the trends of the "Spring-Summer 2015" season. Designers had to make fashion more accessible, collections - folk, and the image of a woman - democratic. Therefore, the main paradox of this Fashion Week has become more modest collections (of course, with the exception of provocateur Tom Ford).
#SergioShoeHunter
Meet Sergio, a personal fashion columnist and reporter for THEOUTNET.COM online store. All fashionistas of the English capital adore him. The fact is that, having a unique personal style (fashionable dachshund always with a bow tie and GoPro camera), Sergio's “shoe hunter” follows the most important trends in the shoe business. Of course, the first thing a dog sees is the legs of a person. At past London Fashion Week, Sergio attacked the trail of Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, Santoni, Sergio Rossi, Christian Louboutin, Chanel, Dior, Burberry and Markus Lupfer.
This time on the London catwalks reigned the direction of "normcore" (from the merger of the two English words - "normal" and "hardcore"), which looks like a desire to look "like everyone else" and not stand out. Even Christopher Bailey, the creative director of Burberry, suggested putting on sneakers, Brit Pop style sandals and the main attribute of the style - a denim jacket next season.
Total
The week passed like a day. Somerset House, The May Fair Hotel, Hyde Park, where the whole fashion world seemed to be crowding at that time, flashed before my eyes as one frame with the hashtag #LFW. So what will be fashionable in the new season? Comfortable sandals in Birkenstock style, denim jackets, as in the collections of Christopher Kane and Topshop Uniqué, decorative ornaments and 3D applications on jumpers and dresses. Last Fashion Week showed that next season bright colors, ornaments, midi skirts and sports style will rule the ball.
