As a fashion capital, the city has always been a testbed for experimentation and creativity and no Brexit or Storm Dennis was going to change that, it seems. The message from its most lauded (and mostly millennial) designers: Keep calm, carry on and evolve with the times.
Molly Goddard – synonymous with irreverently frothy tulle frocks reminiscent of children’s party wear – for example toned down her signature dresses by layering them over Fair Isle knits. The effect: a more practical yet no less delightful affair from the 30-year-old. Meanwhile the ever-conceptual JW Anderson, 36, artfully treaded the line between the outre and wearable with a line-up spanning sinuous wrap LBDs and tuxedo suits with oversized shawl collars to sculptural gowns covered in tinsel or shaggy wool. He even coined a new term to describe this eclectic, hyper modern way of dressing: nouveau chic.
Over at Burberry, chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci – Gen X-born, but always one to have his finger on the pulse of the next generation – drew inspiration from a melting pot of cultures to put a fresh spin on British wardrobe staples. Sophisticated sheaths came rendered in Madras checks. Rugby shirts were deconstructed and turned into fluted tops and dresses and, perhaps best capturing Tisci’s innovativeness: clever adaptations of the brand’s famous trench coat – from a sensuous off-shoulder version to transformable hybrid styles with strategically placed zippers and buttons.
Consider the season a lesson in resilience: The future’s bright when one can bridge reality with imagination.
