16 Oct London Fashion Week Spring 2014: Trend Report
London Calling! As London Fashion Week Spring 2014 comes to a close, it’s time to look forward to what we’ll be wearing this season. Read on for the trends to know.
Despite a lack of internet in my new flat and a broken laptop (I may or may not have dropped it), I’ve been keeping my Fashion Eye on the SS14 collections via good old Vogue Runway. As a Londoner, I always have an invested interest in the shows at London Fashion Week: an exciting incubator for young and upcoming designers, the London shows always prove to be a good indicator of the future. Here are the trends to know.
TAKE YOU TO THE CANDY SHOP
Lace is probably the most prominent trend to have come out of the SS14 shows, particularly in pretty pastel colours. Pink is definitely here to stay, but cool shades of peppermint and parma violet are also here to transform your wardrobe into a sartorial candy shop. “Sweet” is a fitting word for Temperley’s collection, which made full use of pastel shades and delicate fabrics. Meanwhile, Orla Kiely merged dusty hues with exotic patterns, animal motifs and explorer’s bags. The result? Boy Scout chic.
Lace, But Make It Edgy
If you prefer your lace with a side order of edge, John Rocha is your man. Rocha covers his models in a combination of heavy, black lace and sheer fabrics that allow glimpses of the skin beneath. Wide-brimmed hats shield the models’ faces from view, like a Victorian-gothic funeral accessory. Meanwhile, maxi skirts and dresses are lifted with intricate floral patterns.
Leather and Folds
If lace isn’t your thing, JW Anderson caters to your taste with no-nonsense experimentations in various shapes and fabrics. Leather folds over leather in an asymmetric harmony of wrap skirts and tunics, in a way that Anderson acknowledges as a nod towards Japanese origami.
Twinkle Twinkle
Take a sparkling leaf out of Tom Ford’s book with a show-stealing mini-dress. This particular look feels as though Ford has smashed a disco ball and sewn the fragments back together into a dancefloor-ready design; and then decided it was missing something, and added matching thigh-high boots.
florals? for spring?
If the lace is too pretty, the leather too tough or the Tom Ford just too Tom Ford, ground yourself in blooming gardens and luxe ruffles. Mary Katrantzou scatters flouncy florals across dresses, skirts and blouses, while Preen by Thornton Bregazzi slices up flower beds and nearly slots them back together into a kaleidoscopic vision of colour.
songs + stripes
If flowers and frills aren’t your thing, someone somewhere in London has got you covered; Emilia Wickstead keeps it simple and sophisticated with bright, block colours and vertical stripes, playfully wrapping mini dresses in a tuneful pattern of ivory and black pianos and music notes.
The Bomber Jacket
The cover-up of the moment. Erdem gives the classic style an elegant twist with florals on silk. Sister by Sibling take it one step further, covering baseball jackets with actual, pastel coloured flowers.
all the layers
Spring is a transitional season, so of course layering is in — but for SS14, it’s all about how you do it. Whether you’re throwing skirts over trousers, or folding sheer pieces of material over material, this season is giving us multi-layered hemlines and visually dynamic silhouettes. If there’s one collection that sums up SS14 in London, it’s Burberry. It neatly ties together the zeitgeist in lace, pastel shades, jewels, giant sunglasses and Cara Delevingne in a transparent plastic raincoat.
