Twice a year a swarm of colourful, well-heeled fashion editors, bloggers and buyers descend on Somerset House and its surrounds for a week of shows, presentations and parties.
Many a look of confusion and disdain is shared between everyday commuters as show-goers totter off the tube at Temple in their impractical footwear and headache inducing headpieces. How absurd fashion week must seem to the average Londoner and what laughs they must have about weird and wonderful LFW sights. Here's five things that made us double take this season…
Conveyor belt catwalk - Always the showman, Henry Holland never fails to entertain us with his fun, party-ready runways. Cheered on by a loyal celebrity FROW (including Alexa Chung, Daisy Lowe and Pixie Geldof) the House of Holland girl strutted along a moving runway to Bruno Mars' latest hit 'Uptown Funk' wearing a series of practical coats and cover-ups. We predict an upsurge in sales of opaque tights now they've been given the HOH seal of approval.
Contorting models - Sophia Webster's girls bounced around a loud and proud cyber wonderland alongside contortionists in lace-up neon heels and clowns on trampolines in leopard print trainers. The models wore planet-like spheres that nodded to the alternative 'Freak Like Me' theme but amidst the madness there were undoubtedly some accessories that combined hilarity and practicality in just the right way.
Men in boiler suits - London Fashion Week is firmly focussed on womenswear but occasionally the odd male model pops up to balance the equilibrium. At Daks we saw a series of interspersed menswear that largely focussed on the boiler suit shape in sequences of red and black. Although stylish in their own way we couldn't take the boys in their overalls too seriously. Can you imagine a nation of British men trying to squeeze into a cropped legged, zip fronted onesie matched with red leather gloves? No, we can't either. Thankfully the women's collection was accomplished and had a clean and contemporary feel that we missed in past seasons when there was a firm focus on the brand's traditional trademark check.
Lego hats - Lego hats plural, we did indeed spot more than one show attendee sporting a hat made from Lego pieces. We're in no way predicting that Lego hats are the next big Autumn Winter accessory but what they lack in style credentials they make up for in entertainment value. If nothing else these brick wearing bloggers built headpieces that can be instantly customised. That at least deserves points for creativity.
A dark army - Not 'weird' as such but definitely spine-tingling, this season marked Gareth Pugh's much awaited return to London Fashion Week having moved his show from Paris to London for the first time in seven years. The most dramatic on-schedule show by far, Pugh happily eschews commercialism and mainstream trends in favour of an all-encompassing dark battle-ready theme. This season his model army took over the Victoria and Albert museum and stomped down the runway with red St George's crosses smeared across their faces whilst wearing spiky, embellished sweeping dresses and reinforced leather cover-ups. Sinister and a tad creepy but undeniably memorable.
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