London Fashion Week 2022

After a very hectic week in the United Kingdom, London Fashion Week has finally arrived. The event included 130 designers’ collections both digitally and physically, though it had significant difficulties during the previous two years due to factors like Covid In light of the Queen’s death just 8 days prior to what would be the beginning of LFW, the fate of the show was still up in the air. After much thought, the show continued, and designers delivered their runway collections to the audiences. In this article, we will be discussing all things fashion from London Fashion Week.

Just days after the Queen’s death, the event had a very somber tone. With most brands being established or working in London, designers wanted to show their love for the late queen. Brands like JW Anderson and Daniel W. Fletcher paid tribute to the Queen through their pieces. Her Majesty the Queen 1926 – 2022 Thank You” was written on an oversized black top, by JW Anderson, expressing his love for the Queen. Other brands decided to show their respect by canceling their shows and moving them to later dates. Both Raf Simons and Burberry canceled their eagerly anticipated shows as they felt it was not appropriate to hold them during this time of mourning.

There were many designers who stood out from the crowd and whose work really took center stage. Harris Reed drew inspiration from the Victorian era and the New York drag scene. Reed, who was just announced the creative director of Nina Ricci, has been making a big splash in the fashion scene Reed’s work has recently been worn by Lil Nas X at the VMAs and by Beyonce on the cover of British Vogue.Staying connected with the Renaissance theme, Reed’s collection showed the true meaning of the New York drag ballroom scene. With color, metallics, discos look, and shiny fabrics, Harris Reed created beautiful dresses and garments. The collection also played with scales to create one-of-a-kind head pieces and hats showing the extravagance of the New York ballroom scene. The shows also featured performances from LGBTQ+ icons Sam Smith and the Queen lead singer Adam Lambert making this a standout show.

At the JW Anderson show, our minds were bent into another world. The runway was set in a casino and played with the obscure.Anderson wanted to play with the idea that we are sucked into our phones and technology that it is becoming an alternate universe. The collection featured many distinct types of garments from long silk dresses decorated with lace to dolphin swimsuits. The images of beaches, goldfish, and dolphins on these garments resemble professional photography. The collection truly gets you thinking and makes you work to discover what the designer is trying to say. Other notable outfits include a dress with large keyboard buttons on it, a sweater tuned upside down worn as a top, and a giant silver surface bubble dress. It is obvious that JW Anderson uses a unique perspective in his work. He allows the detail and imagery on the pieces shine while using simple and designs.

Richard Quinn is the final prominent designer to stand out during London Fashion Week. Richard Quinn had a special bond with the former Queen and knew his collection needed to pay tribute to her. Quinn was also the first person to receive the Queen Elizabeth II Award for Design in 2018 for his beautiful work. The collection was split into two parts. The first 22 looks of the collection were themed funeral. Black dresses with black lace overlays and veils were the focus of several designs. He and other close friends all worked on these looks in the 10 days between the Queen’s passing and his runway presentation. This is really outstanding considering it often takes months to create a typical runway collection. The second half of the collection featured very colorful and printed garments. The collection’s latter half reflected the life of the Queen and the vibrant, frivolous hues she frequently donned. From baby doll jackets to big floral dresses, Richard Quinn made sure his love for the Queen would not be forgotten. Lace turned out to be a very highly favored fabric for the Spring Summer 2023 season. Brands like Poster Girl, Richard Quinn, and JW Anderson all used lace in their collections making this a spring/summer essential. Ruffles toyed with the texture of dresses and gave the clothing a youthful feel, keeping with the idea of lighthearted romance. Designers like Halpern, Erdem, and Molly Goddard all used ruffles in several ways on their garments creating some interest and playfulness. Designers added volume by designing maxi skirts, much like how ruffles lend volume to an outfit. This season’s runways featured both men and women wearing maxi skirts. The punk/leather look will be popular, as we anticipated in our fall 2022 trends. For spring we are seeing trends of floral, brilliant colors, and lacey romantic looks. A focus on the hip region, body stockings, metallics and holographic, and dresses worn over jeans are some of the additional fast but significant trends to notice.

London Fashion Week may not have had been the most amazing, over the top collections we have seen on the runways, but it was a great way to warm up to the bigger more popular fashion weeks of Milan and Paris scheduled following London. London Fashion Week shows the rising stars of the fashion industry giving us their new and unique collections. Even though there was a somber feeling over London in this time of mourning, fashion also brought people together and gave the people of London a way to give their former queen a tribute. London Fashion Week will continue to grow and blow people away with its amazing talents.