London Fashion Week Finds Its Place

London Fashion Week Review from The Edmonton Journal

London Fashion Week shook off its traditional image as a mere play-ground for quirky emerging talent with a display of grown-up elegance for the autumn/winter 2012 season that had leaders of the global fashion pack singing the British capital's praises.

By the close of the shows, top British designers such as Paul Smith, Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton and Burberry's Christopher Bailey had presented catwalk collections that more than suggested that the "edgy" London of yesteryear had matured into a sleek and sophisticated luxury powerhouse.

"We used to come here and think it's all going to be eccentric and street chic, and actually it's incredibly grown up, polished and sexy, glamorous clothes so it's a global stage now - it's wonderful," Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour observed on the sidelines of the shows.

London has always been over-shadowed by New York, Milan and Paris on the fashion map, and often derided by critics as the "capital of quirk," despite spawning industry stars such as Stella McCartney, McQueen and Vivienne Westwood as well as leading global luxury labels such as Burberry and Mulberry.

Military styles, bright prints, furs and quintessentially English looks dominated the catwalks, while be-jewelled, sequined and embroidered creations were also prominent.

Many of the collections included panelled creations. Burberry sent panelled trench coats down the runway and Peter Pilotto dressed his models in figure-hugging stretch dresses slashed with mesh panels.

Designers accentuated the female figure by nipping coats and jackets in at the waist to create an hourglass silhouette. Burberry used colourful bows to achieve this look while McQ from Alexander McQueen chose leather military-style belts with gold buckles.

Sasha Wilkins, founder of the successful LibertyLondonGirl.com fashion blog, said the British capital now competed on equal footing with its rival fashion capitals.

"We seem to have got to the point where London can properly take its place on the world stage," said Wilkins, a former Wall Street Journal executive style editor.

London's place on the fashion map is likely to become more prominent this summer thanks to the Olympic Games.

Traditional English fabrics such as felts, velvets, tweed and tartan found favour with designers who sought to overturn London's reputation for avant-garde trends by opting for elegant tailored creations.

Burberry creative director Bailey combined country and town styles at a show packed with celebrities including Kate Bosworth, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Samantha Cameron, wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Bailey's models sashayed down the runway in quilted jackets, peplum skirts and tiered fringe dresses teamed with brogue lace-up angle boots before a clap of thunder was heard and water emulating rain gushed down the sides of the trans-parent marquee in which the event was hosted.

Vivienne Westwood also championed the British cause with her Red Label collection which saw tattooed models don tweed suits, baggy jod-phur-like trousers and tailored creations inspired by tribal prints.

"Britishness is just a way of put-ting things together and a certain don't-care attitude about clothes," Westwood said. "You don't care, you just do it and it looks great. What we do always looks British even if we're inspired by Africa or the North Pole or whatever."

At McQ, military chic ruled supreme - creative director Sarah Burton, who designed the wedding dress Kate Middleton wore for her wedding to Prince William last year, sent models down a runway carpeted with autumnal leaves in khaki coats and suits featuring large pockets and big metal buttons with shiny leather lace-up stiletto boots.

Flared strapless tartan dresses with sheer sleeves, lacy tops, delicate embroidery and appliquéd velvet flowers showed a softer, more feminine side in the McQ show.

Stella McCartney also staged an extravagant spectacle, wowing the audience with magic tricks, models dancing on tables, a jazz band and a vegetarian dinner as she showcased bright marbled patterns, floral prints and gathered puffy skirts.

"It's London, it's Britain. It's celebrating everything that is bold and irreverent about being a British brand," McCartney said of her inspiration for the opulent collection.

After presenting a Renaissance-inspired collection of fluffy fur hats, bright print dresses with oriental flower patterns and richly embroidered and beaded sheer evening gowns, British designer Alice Tem-perley said London had become a very exciting place to be.

"It's not just about the new generation, there are people coming through that are obviously very creative and very inspiring and what London is renowned for, but it's also about people who have good businesses that can and do sell globally," Temperley said.

SOURCE:

The Edmonton Journal Online