London Fashion Week, which closed recently, crowned a fabulous summer for the capital.
Following the Olympics and Paralympics, the event further enhanced the standing of the city recently voted the most stylish in the world. But for those who prefer high street fashion to catwalk shows, the estimated £100 million worth of orders placed during the glittering spectacle, offers a glimpse of what we’ll find in the shops next spring.
The UK is one of the leading players in the fashion industry and contributes around £21 billion to the economy. This position has been achieved through a combination of individual creativity and the efforts of the British Fashion Council, which was established in 1983 to showcase the best of British design. London Fashion Week is central to this purpose and ranks alongside Paris, Milan and New York as of the ‘Big Four’ events in the fashion calendar.
More than 5,000 visitors attended more than 100 catwalk shows at this month’s Fashion Week which also provided a platform for a large number of ready to wear collections. Naturally it also provided a platform for celebrities too with Samantha Cameron, new US Open champion Andy Murray and photographer Mario Testino among those spotted on the front rows.
But the award for the celebrity stealing the show must go to Lady Gaga. The singer opened hat designer Philip Treacy’s show in typically eccentric style, wearing a shocking pink see through burka and a bizarre floral head piece. Earlier she had been spotted sporting Mickey Mouse ears and a colourful purse adorned with a four-letter word.
The Fashion Week trends that might be expected to filter through to the high street include a fondness for shiny plastics and sequins. Bold floral and geometric prints were also much in evidence, as were updated versions on 1950s twinsets. Also proving popular were metals and gemstones including gold, silver, emerald and ruby.
One of the most popular events proved to be the Burberry show staged in a purpose built marquee in Hyde Park. Here Burberry’s trademark trench coats got an updated look in a show which put fun before heritage. The British brand recently opened a 44,000 sq. ft. commercial property on Regent Street and Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey explains the company’s philosophy as ‘joyous’ and ‘sexy’ and says he hopes it will make people excited about fashion.
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