Runway Review

London Fashion Week is known for attention-grabbing, high-drama, statement-making collections. This season was no exception and it was clear the designers showing in London were intent on getting noticed. Some explored new territories, concepts, and themes while others drew upon old concepts, reformulating them and pushing their creative thresholds. Amanda Wakeley and Luella were moody, dark, and a bit sinister, while others like Eley Kishimoto, Erdem and House of Holland were whimsical and fun. Some updated the old, like Richard Nicoll, who gave classic shapes and cuts a sexy makeover, while Basso & Brooke and Giles created outrageous collections that set a new standard for pushing it to the max. Dark palettes ruled supreme, but some like Mulberry and Aquascutum weren’t afraid to keep the bold color trend going, upping the drama and quirkiness factors along the way.

tags:

• issa
• , richard nicoll
• , basso and brooke
• , erdem
• , vivienne westwood red label
• , runway review
• , london fashion week fal 2008
• , jaeger london
• , amanda wakeley
• , house of holland

While other designers point to a theme, a muse, a decade, a country, and so on as inspiration for their collections, Phillip Lim, never one to take things all that seriously, described his 3.1 Phillip Lim fall/winter ’08 collection as merely an evolution from the one before- not about a “look,” but rather, “A mixed bag of tricks.” This bag of tricks translated to - as the designer noted - “Silent volumes - the idea of a quick glance without a word exchanged…and left with only thoughts to linger.” This collection was definitely marked by increased maturity- from the refined blouses, to the granny dusters, to the ladylike tea dresses, to the fancy hats, to the cable vests, to the rich fabrics such as heavy wool and plush velvet- wasn’t too much of stray from previous ones- the looks were all super-wearable, high-class cool, and subtly sexy- signature of the brand that will definitely keep younger fans happy.

tags:

• new york fashion week
• , runway report
• , sabrina newman
• , runway review
• , new york fashion week fall 2008
• , fashion week
• , phillip lim
• , fall 2008
• , runway
• , phillip lim fall 2008