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When you can get Naomi Campbell, Tyson Beckford, Estelle and Alice Dellal on the same catwalk, you have a pretty good charity event. The third Fashion for Relief catwalk show and auction brought the fourth day of London Fashion Week to a celeb-heavy close. Check our style blog for the details, but please have a cloth ready in case you drool.
Enough time being star-struck. On to collection highlights and lowlights. Richard Nicoll brought a bit of the ’50s in with ’90s minimalism, featuring everything from aqua silk floor-length gowns to a green-and-gold brocade mini dress. Once again, ankle-skimming trousers showed up.
Henry Holland also tested the trouser rules Wednesday, and although his collection will undoubtedly get buzz, there were a few off-putting notes. The US had a show called Blossom in the early ’90s, and the main character wore lots of polka dots and bold florals and used biker shorts as a layering piece. This strangely feels like the new House of Holland collection, opened (naturally) by Agyness Deyn on the runway. With that said, Holland undoubtedly has a signature style and deserves credit for promoting it so well.
Roksanda Ilincic further established herself as a London fashion must-have with an ethereal collection of ruffle-tiered, floor-length gowns, huge lavender roses and, somehow, satin harem pants. Her brightest work channels Rodarte, with strategically draped white organza bunching at just the right places on the torso to avoid obscenity.
Bernard Chandran also seemed a bit ’50s, although he claims to have been inspired by the structure of chairs. That explained the abstract prints on his playsuits and ribbon-belted shirts, while also making his models look less zany for strutting along with one chair earring dangling away. A few of his retro-look prints bordered on Golden Girls-era Miami, but most could easily pass for vintage finds from Camden. The headwraps and black lipstick provided a modern sense of edginess.
Tomorrow brings London Fashion Week to a close, so be sure to check LondonNet for all your updates before the models head for Milan on Saturday.
– Jill Hilbrenner
