London Fashion Week SS15 Day 3

Fashion & Beauty

15 Sept

Written By

Due to the chaos and traffic, I missed my first show of the morning and Day 3 of London Fashion Week kicked off with an incredible show at Fashion Scout; 15 graduates from the Swedish School of Textiles showcased their conceptual creations in The Gallery of Freemason's Hall. The influence of Deconstruction Fashion of the 90's was seen throughout all the collections, that "recycled", "destroyed" and "undone" look of Martin Margiela, Rei Kawakubo and Ann Demeleumeester was reflected in these artistic creations. I selected my favourite 8 of the 15 collections to talk about.The show started with the first graduate who brought out balloon-like structured dresses which distorted the human shape, concealing limbs beneath curves of stiff fabric or emphasising the shoulders and hips. The collection was entirely cream-coloured in a thin fabric that was almost transparent and the models' hair was slicked back and tied in rough, low chignons. Referencing the deconstruction of fashion, this was a collection that stripped back all garments to the simplest element and the starting point of all fashion creations: the human form.

Miguel Lucas de Simas Martins' menswear collection seemed like another homage to Deconstruction Fashion. The "unfinished", "recycled" look was seen reflected in these garments which had oversized seams and "stitches" and unfinished edges of straight-cut fabrics that gaped open at the elbows or shoulders, almost as if they were just calico toiles instead of the actual finished garments. Creating clothes in the simplest forms but with outrageous prints and colours. What a clash.

Linda Dekhla followed with a beautiful, conceptual collection of oversized knits layered with cylindrical structures that protruded from the soft knitwear and were lined with metallic threads. Other fuzzy knits had large cut-outs and pom-pom style tape threads that rustled with every step. Loved the colours used and the shoes; platforms that were taped over the models' feet in a completely deconstructed look.

Next was Anna Johansson who presented another stunning collection of soft colours and monochrome black and white. A lot of fabric was used; pleated, tied, wrapped at the front and at the sides, narrow trains of fine silk were left to flow behind the models and hung loosely around their shoulders.

Karen Mellqvist's 'Homage to the Fringes' collection featured a fascinating juxtaposition of textures and fabrics, colours and volumes. Fuzzy furs, weaved cotton - the garments were in forms of colour-block and overflowed with fringes creatively made with coloured recorder tape - also used as wigs!

Per Hansson's braided collection was one of my favourites. A palette of mostly white and grey was used with some orange, which fit perfectly into the creations. Again, another interpretation of Deconstruction was seen with knitted and braided garments that were fringed and had the "undone" look, tape-like structures seemed to hold them together at the seams. Absolutely loved the movement of the fringes and the structured, intricate braids.

Another take on Deconstruction Fashion (spot the trend!) was seen with Ina Hjelte's collection. Beautifully-simplistic garments were created with straight-cut fabrics in oversize, cotton, felt and plastic in mainly white and black and some soft colours. Mannish sandals with the most minimal designs accompanied all the looks. Simply cut and with no seams, these geometric garments gaped open at the midriff, shoulders and legs; white felt was juxtaposed with yellow plastic and peach chiffon and all other combinations were simply magnificent.

Finally, Andreas Eklof's collection was another wonderful experiment into Deconstruction, with a utility/ski/racecar-driver style collection of leggings, padded jackets, trousers and sleeves. The collection featured a lot of tape (coloured, as well) that looked like it was holding together fabrics at the seams and also followed the border of prints on jackets and trousers, giving that "recycled" look. I thought the idea was utterly brilliant - and fantastically executed.

After a short break, I went off to see the Edeline Lee presentation, which I fell in love with the moment I stepped into it. Live music played; with pastels everywhere and a retro feel, the presentation featured designs which were separated into themes by colour; models stood in their separate sections with retro-style backgrounds, either in pairs or solo. I loved the pink creations with the backdrop of powder pink and the pale rose-covered ceiling. Also loved the ever-so-chic seafoam/grey-hued coat and dress in sleek silk. Miniature props led an air of fantasy to it and the clash of proportions was reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. Truly wonderful!