Live From... London Fashion Week, Day 3

Mulberry

Mulberry has emerged as the hottest label to watch in terms of all that is quintessentially British in the international fashion arena. With its concentration on good design, immaculate finish and quality fabrications, along with its ever-expanding range of must-have accessories, this is the name that could topple Burberry from its position as the ultimate British aspirational brand. 

The look: Country classics with a twist
Silhouette: Subtle structured shapes and ladylike longer lengths
Key items: Luxurious outerwear included quilted macs with shearling linings, easy trench coats, boyfriend jackets, lambskin poacher jackets and duffels, or the plush touch of a Toscana lamb gilet. All perfect to throw over culottes, classic trousers, feminine printed blouses, sweeping long skirts and ladylike shirtdresses with pleated skirts and bow-tied necklines
Colour: The palette reflected the colours of the countryside, with mole greys, rich russet or conker browns and heathered lilacs, with accents of brilliant kelly green, foxglove pink, lavender and pheasant green
Fabric & knit: Toscana lamb, waxy sheepskin, quilted cotton, wool-cotton blends, herringbone tweeds, stretch wool, double silk georgette, metallic crepe, double-faced silk, corduroy, rabbit, cashmere, charmeuse, jacquard silk
Print & pattern: Prints too evoked a rustic spirit, featuring woodland imagery - think squirrels, birds and flowers contrasted with a peace-and-love jaquarded silk for an urbane urban touch
Details & trims: Ski-clip-style gilt hardware closures on outerwear and jackets
Footwear: Ankle boots with smooth wooden wedges and tilly-buckle hardware in rich colours and textures including tweed, jumbo cord, grained metallic leather and lambskin
Accessories: The heritage Bayswater and Bayswater satchel with poacher-style straps; stud closures and a new across-body strap; double-chain wrapped handle bags; new hardware details to update the Alexa; butter-soft quilted leathers and a conker-coloured patent highlighted some of the latest must-have bags

Acne

From the quintessential Britishness of the Mulberry show, the fashion pack was whisked straight to the urban gritty show space of Acne, the fashionista’s go-to brand, with its signature androgynous style reworked in a mix of unexpected fabrications and fashion colours.

The look: Urban girls
Silhouette: Relaxed and boxy
Key items: The cropped pant manifested itself in butter-soft leather to team with throw-on tie-belt wrap coats, big cocooning shearlings or a silver leather shell top sporting a dare-to-bare sheer back. Leather dungarees and a workwear-inspired boilersuit added to the urban vibe, along with workwear jackets and a roomy biker. A more decorative element came into play, with the cloqué skirts worn with a mannish denim shirt or in the side-split palazzo pants and their matching maxiskirt. And there was a luxe appeal in the drapey camel tunic knit and cropped leather biker skirt
Colour: Urban blues and greys, burgundy, rose and pale shell pink, hyacinth, pea green, marigold and dijonFabric & knit: Leather, drills, denim and cloqué, tulle overlays, silk velvet, shearling
Footwear: Wooden-heeled platform sandals in patent or silver, camel-coloured wedge-heeled broguesAccessories: Natural-coloured pop socks

Jasper Conran

After last season’s acclaimed resort-inspired collection, Jasper Conran turned to a more minimal, structured look for autumn/winter, teaming his rigorous tailoring with slick minimal modernism with a strong graphic appeal.

The look: 60s chic
Silhouette: Modern and minimal
Key items: Strong graphic lines came into play for the collection’s simple tank dresses and A-line skirts, worked in a variety of reptile-inspired patterns, or overlaid in sheer mesh. That same minimalist look was worked into hip-belted scalloped-hem shifts and a micro-shorts all-in-one. DB tailoring, an immaculate tuxedo jacket and a grey reefer-style skirt suit had a structured appeal, while shimmering sequins, rectangular paillettes and an ostrich-feathered coat were worked into sparse lines for a less-is-more appeal for evening Colour: Intensely saturated oxblood red and espresso, punctuated with accents of amethyst and deep inky blues
Fabric & knit: Emerging fabric trends were addressed in the use of silky calfskin and plush Toscana lamb, complementing wool jersey, viscose jersey, silk crepes, suede, silk tulle, cashmere, soft leathers and silk chiffons
Print & pattern: This was more about surface decoration than print, with reptilian patterns worked in bold black and white combinations, which were moulded or stitched and carved
Details & trims: Self-covered hip belts, contrast top stitching, fringed and tiled leather and suede, lacing details
Footwear: Square-toed flat pumps in patent or satin, over-the-knee boots in suede or croc effectsAccessories: Flowing head scarves, bucket hats, jersey beanies, shoulder bags with Perspex or acrylic trims, suede hip belts, opaque tights, Toscana-lamb clutch bags

Nicole Farhi

Nicole Farhi continued her exploration with innovative fabrics for her immaculate autumn/winter collection, full of those items that have made her one of the stalwarts of London Fashion Week - the perfectly cut trouser, great outerwear and covetable knits. 

The look: Streamlined and functional
Silhouette: Minimal and linear but softly structured
Key items: Farhi cuts a mean pant, and this season they came with a masculine full leg and a high cummerbund waist, the perfect team mates for her fitted metallised herringbone tweed jackets or her jersey tops, which shimmered with moulded sequins. Bonded knits took traditional Aran structures into a new dimension, and there was a play on the masculine shirt, here cut in oversized shapes with a flowing caped back or with pintucked details. Outerwear is another strong suit with this label, and the easy kimono wraps and unstructured wide-cut silhouettes didn’t disappoint. Sinuous jersey dresses featured coiled zips, tracing curvilinear seams or the spine of a floorlength shift, and for evening columnar dresses in chainmail yarns or the contrast of billowing crystal-pleated floor-sweeping skirts
Colour: A tightly focused palette of lamp black, inky midnight blue, deep oxblood and winter white, with a flash of vermilion red
Fabric & knit: Innovative finishes and techniques took traditional wools and meltons into another stratosphere, with bonded, laminated, boiled and pressed effects. Herringbone tweed had a silvery metallic finish, while calfskin, moleskin and suede added a tactile touch among Farhi’s moulded and laminated sequins
Details & trims: Exposed coiled zips, cutout backs, contrast edging
Footwear: Laced suede needle-heeled ankle boots, ponyskin ankle boots
Accessories: White hosiery

Unique

With a new venue, Anna Wintour and a cast of London it-girls front row, expectations were running high at Topshop Unique’s autumn/winter showing for a collection that was inspired by post-depression 30s America - a theme that offered scope for looks that veered from stevedores to Hollywood glamour queens, via showgirls and sultry Art Deco sirens. 

The look: 30s Americana
Silhouette: Va-va-vroom meets hello sailor
Key items: The collection was a cavalcade of looks and key items too long to list, but key pieces included matelot pants and skirts, sailor tops and shirtdresses, laced-back hotpants, a masculine trench coat and ticking western-style jeanswear. Flippy bias dresses and long-line pencil skirts sometimes veered towards a strict 40s silhouette, and there was a play on Cruella de Vil, with a posse of faux furs and exaggerated fur trims. One standout dress was a simple devoré shift with a burn-out of the Brooklyn Bridge
Colour: Black and white, warm gingers, camel and a raft of yellows, silver
Fabric & knit: Faux furs by the yard from fake mink to dalmatian-print ponyskin, cocooning shearling, rubber-backed canvas, ticking stripes, mohair, flocked Lurex, striped jersey, satin, devoré and marabou, silver leather
Print & pattern: Dalmatian spots, a micro dog-print repeat, Hollywood logos, Manhattan-skyline motif
Details & trims: Deco appliqués
Footwear: High stomping metallic Mary-Janes, dalmatian-patterned heeled ankle boots
Accessories: Lace hosiery and ankle socks


Antonio Berardi

For winter, Antonio Berardi aimed to break out of his after-six reputation with a new focus on daywear and, more particularly, outerwear. And for the first part of the show he did just that, layering coats, jackets and heavy knitwear to chunky extremes before giving way to his more familiar high-octane evening looks. “I wanted it to be luxurious, but it was tougher than usual,” said Berardi. “I wanted it to feel like London.” 

The look: Statement luxury
Silhouette: Bulky outerwear created heavily proportioned uppers layered atop strictly tailored shapes
Key items: In line with the season so far, outerwear was a key focus for Berardi as he layered jackets and coats in bulky proportion play - a cropped biker with oversized revers and bullion-beaded sleeves sat atop a flare-skirted wrap coat, while a heavy curly lamb jacket with cropped sleeves was styled atop a long grey wool coat, both with hugely exaggerated revers. Beneath these heavy layers came neatly tailored cropped wool pants worn with crystal-studded poloneck jumpers, or folded skater skirts. As the looks moved toward cocktail hour, there were panelled and contoured sheaths in optic black and white, tailored dresses with daringly exposed sheer lace panels at the chest, and a strictly tailored midnight blue pantsuit, its raglan-sleeved jacket featuring a sheer lace back. For full-on evening looks there were lean column gowns in molten metallic Lurex
Colours: Winter white, intense midnight blue, slate and smoke greys, bright pea green and brash metallic red and gold
Fabric & knit: Laser-cut/punched wool, crystal-studded ribbed knits, textured wool jacquards with a scratched patina, cashmere, double-faced silk, organza, fine Chantilly lace, over-dyed Lurex, Mongolian lamb and shaved mink
Details & trims: Sculptural fold-back revers and collar details, dropped shoulders and sleeve heads, exaggerated back cowl drapes, jewel-striped sleeves, heavy studded hardware on sleeves and hems, punched wool mesh, crinkle pleats, eyelet studding, sheer lace panels
Footwear: Multi-strap heels with extended buckle straps by Manolo Blahnik, in lime suede or black patent leather
Accessories: Fine jewellery by Annina Vogel

Matthew Williamson

The opening exit set the tone for the show - a patchworked ethnic-textile parka with leather sleeves and fox-fur hood, worn with chunky buckled biker boots. This was Williamson’s pretty hippy-chick going through a tough-girl phase. 

The look: Boho goes biker
Silhouette: Short and leggy
Key items: The leather-sleeved woven textile parka, patched zip-fly leather pants with quilted knees, and a host of motocross biker jackets gave the collection its tougher edge, while blanket coats, shaded Mongolian-lamb chubbies and gilets were more familiar Williamson boho. Signature minidresses were rife - either printed, panelled or featuring embroidered yokes - while the wrap-over miniskirt and softly tapered peg pants had strong commercial potential. Elsewhere there were pin-tucked sheer shirts, tailored jackets featuring a slashed shoulder detail, and that longer-length T-shirt shape that has been is fast becoming one of London’s key pieces
Colours: Clashing coral, pink and red, signature nude, shaded olive, smoky greys, and flashes of bright turquoise and royal blue
Fabric & knit: Degradé curly Mongolian lamb and bouncy silver fox furs, marabou, silky micro-patterned jacquards, silk, chiffon, tinsel-like Lurex, quilted leather, wool, patchworked wovens
Print & pattern: Black-and-white checkerboard squares and zigzags, kaleidoscope/mirrored digital prints, a mint-on-nude floral, diffused animalia
Details & trims: Marabou fringing, pin-tucked pleats, leather edging on blanket coats, crewel embroideriesFootwear: Buckled clog boots, cutout satin sandals
Accessories: Knitted fur scarves, structured metal through-belt on chiffon gown

Vivienne Westwood Red Label

Drawing inspiration from the characters that populate west London’s famous Portobello Market, Vivienne Westwood and Red Label designer Murray Blewett’s collection of individual looks worked best when simply styled. 

The look: Anything goes
Silhouette: Chaotically layered, twisted and swagged
Key items: Amid the eclectic layers of tartan mini-kilts, ribbed-cuff bloomer shorts, twist-seamed skirts and off-centre button-up shirts, there was much to take away from the collection - simple slouch-fit sweater dresses, high-waist tulip skirts and chalk-striped mannish pants. Best were the dresses that were spared the trash-bag styling - a stunning navy-blue silk blouson dress with delicately gathered full skirt and draped shoulder, or the collared halter in a bronze leopard-patterned taffeta
Colours: A concentration of sludgy browns, olive drab, greige, fawn, mustard and maroon, with richer shadings of grenadine red and bronze metallics. Bursts of royal blue, turquoise and vermilion worked as here-and-there highlights
Fabric & knit: A mix-and-match grab-bag of textiles and textures - patchworked checks and signature tartans in red-blue colourways, chalk-stripe suitings, wool, silk, velvet, wool jacquards, thin jersey, blue broadcloth, charcoal flannel, metallic leopard jacquard, gold brocade
Print & pattern: Knitted squiggle stripes, gold over-painted effects
Details & trims: Neon feather tufts, fuchsia satin blazer trim
Footwear: Tall fur boots, bow-trimmed kitten-heeled mules, suede courts decorated with a rosette, tartan willies, leather ankle boots
Accessories: Silk headscarves, strings of pearls and a plethora of headwear including cable-knit beanies, a feathered alpine hat and overblown formal hats such as bowlers or trilbies


Richard Nicoll

Tired of waisted silhouettes, Richard Nicoll looked to the 1920s as inspiration for elongated lengths and dropped waists, fused with his signature sportswear directions. 

The look: A refined sports-glamour fusion
Silhouette: High-low columns and proportional layering
Key items: Sporty dropped-waist knee-length parkas with face-framing collars and panelled raglan-sleeved blouson jackets layered over casually wide pants or cuffed semi-sheer track pants, while long-line sweatshirts were teamed with midi-length skirts for an elongated silhouette. Tops included collarless tunic-length shirts, blouses featuring fly-away fins of parachute silk, and long satin cycling T-shirts emblazoned with crystal-beaded names
Colours: Olive with mustard, nude with ghost white, shades of peach and tonal blues - petrol, Prussian and inky midnight
Fabric & knit: Merino wool, iridescent techno nylons, chiffon and georgette, scratched-effect jacquards, delicate sheers, molten metallic Lurex, quilted double-face, velvet
Details & trims: Elasticated hems and cuffs, face-framing drawstring collars, high-low hems and tails, crystal beaded typography (Latin names of rare moths), skinny cutaway halternecks, colour- or fabric-blocked raglan sleeves
Footwear: Velvet T-bar peep toes


Temperley London

As the brand enters its 10th year of business, Alice Temperley brought the label back to its core focus of eveningwear for winter 2011. 

The look: Decadent after-six partywear with a Deco feel
Silhouette: Fishtails and dropped flares with some hourglass waists
Key items: The swishy skater skirts seen elsewhere this week arrived as knee-length fit-and-flare dresses, which contrasted with the longer, form-following lines of the tailored cocktail sheaths and fishtail column gowns. Tailoring arrived as palazzo-pant jumpsuits, and a tux redux comprising cropped jacket and long peg pant. Other party ensembles included flat-front satin flared pants paired with a metallic halterneck top, or a ruffle-shouldered corset top and sheer maxidresses. The occasional daytime look saw skin-tight leather leggings paired with knitwear - either a popcorn-stitch hooded poncho or a ruffle-shouldered cardiganColours: Ghostly pales of peach, blush, skin pink and white, punctuated with black, bronze metallics and a rich ruby red
Fabric & knit: Satin, watery silks, tulle, spotted point d’esprit, mid-gauge knits and a chunky popcorn stitch, silk twill, glittery Lurex metallics
Print & pattern: A digital Venetian fan print used as a border placement
Details & trims: Crystal embroideries, black star-embroidered sheers, three-dimensional rosette appliqués, folded ruffles created cape sleeves, crochet tiers, tiered ruffle hems
Footwear: Metal-heeled ankle boots
Accessories: A wide leather waspie belt

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Live From... New York Fashion Week - Day 5

Rodarte

 

To the tune of 70s classics like the theme from the film Midnight Cowboy, Rodarte played with a variety of loose bohemian inspiration: California’s arts and crafts movement, Wild West cowboys and redwoods.
"The California redwood colours fit so perfectly with the idea of 70s suburbia and then I imagined a place of cowboys and the Wild West," Laura Mulleavy told WGSN.  "The silhouette became like armour and the porcelain idea came from the silhouette but it also went with wood carvings."
The look: Ad-hoc layers and sculpted collage 
The silhouette: Strong cut-out shoulders and panels, with wispy trailing hems 
Key items: Blouse with cut-out shoulder, layered skirt of plaid linen and trailing buffalo check, sculpted jacket with cut-out shoulder, ‘Croc’ embossed leather jacket, wrap skirt, suede crop top, leather and hammered sequin dress with asymmetric draping, denim blue plaid silk ‘Chinese’ top, high-waist slim pant, high-cropped wood panel print mock turtleneck in leather 
Colour: Anchor palette of taupe, white, cream, navy, caramel and walnut. Complementary shades of warm peach, rust, porcelain blue, denim blue, moss green, chartreuse and gold 
Fabric & knit: Guipure lace, silk, chiffon, cotton, linen, leather, hammered silk and gold lamé, buffalo checks, plaid 
Print & pattern: Wood panel print, croc-embossed leather, checks, navy/white stripe, blue porcelain Ming print and abstract dogstooth pattern
Details & trims: Ribbon embroidery and hammered sequins.   
Footwear: Gold metal heel with wood print, carved wood heel with embossed leather and carved wood wedge with Ming printed leather 
Accessories: Sheer white socks, hand-carved belt and hand-carved barrette

marc by Marc Jacobs

 

  There were plenty of prints and stand-out stripes at marc by Marc Jacobs, but the spring collection struck a more simple tone than usual. Always retro-inspired - this time taking several cues from the 70s - the clothes delivered straightforward colour and stripped-back, classic details.
The look: 70s pop prep 
The silhouette: For women, A-line with cap sleeves. For men, slim and relaxed. 
Key items: For women, multi-stripe jumpsuit with spaghetti straps; prim dark-yellow dress to mid-calf with gathered cap sleeve; multi-stripe 70s sweater; high-waist twill pant; twill safari jacket and short; belted wrap coat in khaki olive; oatmeal twill poncho; billowy dress with drawstring belt; side-ruched bikini bottom; halter dress with long neck tie; ruffled bikini top; gathered A-line striped skirt; boxy white top with red stripes; embroidered dot cap-sleeve blouse. For men, grey gabardine trench; grey cashmere sweater with white elbow patches; grey suiting plaid jacket and slim pant; red/blue thick-stripe polo shirt; wrinkled pinstripe pant 
Colour: Summer boardwalk classics such as lobster red, navy, cream and white, as well as dark yellow, orange, cinnamon and nutmeg. Barbie pink appeared in more playful beach-ready looks, while heather grey, khaki and olive were anchors 
Fabric & knit: For women, silk, cotton sateen, cotton twill, washed canvas, cashmere, cotton jersey, nylon, georgette, corduroy. For men, seersucker  
Print & pattern: For women, multi-stripe, color-block, floral, dot embroidery. For men, tonal plaid, multi-stripe, pinstripe 
Details & trims: Dot embroidery, crystal dots 
Footwear: For women, canvas sneaker wedge, Mary Jane lizard-print cork wedges, metallic striped wedge, and leather oxford wedge. For men, gold glitter lo-tops, suede lo-tops and suede hi-tops 
Accessories: For women, leather pouchette, leather drawstring bag, leather/raffia bag, and basket-weave equestrian cap. For men, vintage leather satchel, vintage leather tote, vintage leather "festival" bag, and washed canvas satchel

Jason Wu for TSE

 

Jason Wu's debut at TSE brought many covetable, chunky knits as well as clean tailoring, with a subtle blend of innovative textures.
The look: Luxe knits with subdued tailoring 
The silhouette: High-waist with lean tailored jackets 
Key items: Gauze-knit lace-up bra; cotton/satin long tuxedo blazer; black web-knit chiffon-lined pencil skirt; chiffon-knit slouchy pullover; pleated trouser short; high-waist pleated slim pant; strapless sweaterdress with contrast asymmetric panel; boxy grey jacket with leather binding and slim pant; wide-leg trouser; leather/linen cardigan; silk blouse with long neck tie 
Colour: A practical palette of black, white, heather grey, cream and taupe, with stylish touches of red, navy and yellow with copper trims 
Fabric & knit: Knitted chiffon, silk, linen, leather, cotton twill, cotton piqué, charmeuse, silk gauze, merino wool and cashmere 
Print & pattern: Latex digital brushstroke print 
Details & trims: Trims of dyed leather, horn, shell buttons and metal pins 
Footwear: Grey leather shoe-boots with low-cut heel case, high-heeled leather sandals with three wide velcro straps 
Accessories: Silver metal chokers, silver metal cuffs worn on both wrists, skinny leather belts, knitted cowl scarves

Karen Walker

 

A signature collection from Karen Walker, who hit the spot with her commercial mix of soft tailoring, feminine ruffles and casual, sporty separates.
The look: Summer in the city
Silhouette: Neatly feminine and unstructured
Key items: The slim-legged pant was a key anchor, teamed with simple SB blazers, drapey jackets or easy boxy smock tops. Dresses were cut to the knee with multi-ruffled detailing, full dirndl or crystal-pleat skirts, taking the feminine look to the max. Marled jersey tees, a coated parka and soft drawstring shorts brought a signature sportswear vibe into the mix 
Colour: A muted palette punctuated with flashes of summery brights, in line with emerging trends seen on the runway this week - think khaki, sand, navy and cement with accents of old gold, marigold, daffodil and cornflower 
Fabric & knit: Simple cottons, cotton lawn, linen and marled jersey contrasted with the more dressy looks of taffeta and silk faille 
Print & pattern: A heady bouquet of mixed florals, from small-scale all-overs and silhouette patterns to dramatic hydrangea motifs mixed with sweet bluebirds, and an offbeat giraffe pattern thrown into the mix 
Details & trims: Ladylike dressmaker details such as grosgrain edging, sporty drawstrings and pretty self ruffles 
Footwear: Cityscape loafers worked in high or flat profiles with bi-colour combinations, piping and tasselled trims  
Accessories: Pretty ruffled bags, printed clutch bags, wooden-framed bags, wooden pendants of birds and bird houses, contrast webbing belts with metal clasps, coloured resin cuffs and bangles, and bow-trimmed leather belts in shiny leathers or metallics 

Vera Wang
A more youthful look from Vera Wang this season, who left her signature romantic silhouettes behind in favour of something more sporty and urban.
The look: Urban sports with a subtle oriental twist 
Silhouette: Elongated, softened with manipulated tucks, ruching and drapes 
Key items: Long shorts and skinny pants helped give the collection an urban edge, teamed with ruched asymmetric hem tops or V-necked kimono-like shirts. The longer-line pencil sheath was the key dress shape, punctuated with manipulated draping at the hipm, asymmetric one-shouldered effects or all-over ruching. Elastic cased bloomer shorts brought a soft sense of volume, perfect to marry with slim zipped hooded tops. 
Colour: A simple Japonesque palette of black, white and grey with flashes of poppy red and single accents of pistachio, cerulean and blush for pretty sheer draped dresses with trailing hems at the back 
Fabric & knit: Silky chameuse and satin, crisp taffetas, gazar, lightweight sheers, brocade 
Print & pattern: Floral patterned brocade with an oriental feel 
Details & trims: Flat samuri-inspired quilting, zips, trailing hems 
Footwear: High-cut toeless shoe boots in satin
Accessories: Socks, belts with Turks head knotted detail. Wide waist-cinching belts 

Matthew Ames

Matthew Ames' clean, geometric signature showed especially well for spring 2011, which is looking to be a perfect season for sharp panelled dresses and angular handkerchief hems. 

"I added a lot of texture to fabrics, with new colour and shapes, in order to better define the style and sensibility of this woman, so there was a strong femininity," Ames told WGSN.

The look: Clean, shapely construction 
The silhouette: Relaxed A-line with boxy tops and shaped skirts 
Key items: Silk dupioni belted sleeveless coat dress with slit pockets; navy linen skirt with one-sided handkerchief hem; strapless mesh top; over-the-knee A-line skirt in striped raw silk; belted twill safari jacket; one-shoulder silk/linen mesh top wrapping at waist; criss-cross halter bandeau in georgette; silk dupioni short short; cropped georgette halter top; linen dress with high-side slit revealing short 
Colour: Natural shades such as white, ivory, beige and taupe complemented the collection's raw simplicity, while coral, turquoise, cactus, copper and curry shades added to its feminine feel 
Fabric & knit: Cotton twill, silk georgette, raw silk, silk dupioni, silk crepe, linen, cotton, silk mesh and suede 
Print & pattern: Stripes and color/texture blocking
Details & trims: Curved and angular hems, flat cargo pockets 
Accessories: Turquoise and bone cuff, curvy gold metal choker, spiked metal and coral pendant, silk georgette headscarf, metal ankle cuffs

Temperley London and Alice by Temperley
Alice Temperley looked to a medieval Guinevere for the chains and romantic frills in her mainline collection, while diffusion line Alice took a more lighthearted fairytale tone, à la Marie Antoinette.
"The Temperley woman is very ethereal and romantic," the designer told WGSN. "We wanted to make sure that this collection was getting back to what we are known for, because everything else goes into the diffusion line."
The look: Ruffles in chains 
The silhouette: Waist-conscious with frills 
Key items: In the mainline collection, tiered lace-trimmed ruffle strapless in powder pink, long high-waist leather strapless in black, one-shouldered draped silver dress, white and silver long-sleeved knit minidress 
Colour: Black, silver, grey, powder pink and white create a mix of hard and soft elements, while deep olive green and leopard brown touch on the summer safari trend 
Fabric & knit: Silk jersey, leather, silver foiled silk knit, chiffon, cotton and lace 
Print & pattern: Animal print, "King Arthur" floral architectural pattern 
Details & trims: Lace trimmed ruffles 
Accessories: Chain/leather harness necklaces and belts, round leather drawstring bag with gold accents, black leather bracelets and clutch bags with silver stud detail

G-Star

Utility looks are the G-Star signature, and for next summer they had a borrowed-from-the-boys appeal, with masculine jean cuts paired with layered jersey basics.
"It's the G-Star handwriting of three-dimensional jeans, but in combination with desert elements, resulting in a colour palette of off-white, beige and black-and-white," colection stylist Remco de Nijs told WGSN.

The look: Summer utility 
Silhouette: Masculine boyfriend cuts, occasional swing shapes 
Key items: Jeans: long-rise dhoti, wide-legged gaucho, slouchy boyfriend cut, tapered and cropped carrot leg, ruched straight-leg, bustier jumpsuit with wide-cut legs. Shorts/trousers: rolled boyfriend shorts worn low-slung, micro-length loose-fit hotpants, high-waisted shorts with flared leg, leather bloomers, cotton utility playsuit, exaggerated jodhpurs with leather cuffs, long john-style leggings with button-fly. Outerwear: tailored sleeveless biker jackets, windcheaters with dipped hem and assymetric zip closure, classic blue jean jacket with cropped sleeves, knee-length swing or flared coats, double-layered blazers. Tops: Western shirt, layered fine-gauge jersey tees and tanks 
Colour: Crisp white, eggshell pales, denim blues, navy, desert khaki 
Fabric & knit: Unwashed denim, treated and crumpled indigo denim, washed blue denim, lightweight techno fabrics, mercerised cottons, leather, twill, sateen, fine-gauge jersey 
Details & trims: Raw-edge denim, paper-bag waists, spliced knee panels, industrial zips, Aertex panels, traditional denim hardware including poppers and rivets 
Footwear: Thong sandal boots, sandal boots with cut-away heel case, peep-toe ankle-length sandal boots, lace-up oxford shoes
Accessories: Bag with leather single-shoulder harness and cross-body webbing strap, extra-long leather belts, webbing belts with multiple buckles, Legion caps and headscarves

Narciso Rodriguez
For spring, Narciso Rodriguez updated old-Hollywood glamour with long-length bias-cut dresses that boasted sheer panels and high, straight slits.
The look: Precision classic 
The silhouette: Slinky, long-length 
Key items: Fitted over-the-knee shift; silk bias halter dress with sheer panelling; bias silk skirt with long side slit; slim pencil pant in waxed linen; bandeau tank with sheer panel; contour-seamed bias dress; relaxed open-lapel linen jacket; bias dress embroidered with rose-gold sequins and overlaid with black chiffon cloqué
Colour: Black and white anchored the collection, with brief appearances of coral red, pale green, ash grey and blush 
Fabric & knit: Linen canvas, silk, silk crepe, compact wool, silk cloqué, chiffon cloqué, chiffon jacquard, waxed linen and fil coupé 
Print & pattern: Tonal floral jacquard, abstract embroidery 
Details & trims: Rose-gold sequins with black chiffon overlay

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