From Simone Rocha’s love letter to her Chinese-Irish heritage, to J.W. Anderson’s hotly anticipated show, these were the highlights of London Fashion Week.
Many designers have turned to art to seek inspiration from for their collections and for Eudon Choi, it was Ivan da Silva Bruhns. The Paris born artist turned to designing carpets, which he is now widely famous for, after spotting Berber rugs at an exhibition about Moroccan art at Musee des Arts Decoratifs in 1917. Da Silva Bruhns’ work marries geometric shapes in beautiful warm glowy tones, creating not just carpets but exquisite pieces of art even I’d like to have in my own home.
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Similarly, Choi sought to mirror that ability with his collection of flowy silhouettes, that is not unlike his signature style, but still presented itself with a sense of newness. Raw hems lined blazers, skirts and crisp shirt dresses in dusky hues of ochre, burnt orange and cobalt blue.
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Wrap skirts took inspiration from traditional Indian dhotis, just like the aptly named collection “Manik Bagh”, a palace in India that coincidentally houses some of Da Silva Bruhns pieces.
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Choi’s ability to create beautifully crafted shoes and accessories is evident in collection (was there ever a doubt about that?) especially the brown leather waist purse that was styled beautifully around a boxy shirt dress — definitely one for the books.
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And while it is still a spring/summer collection, there are definitely pieces worth layering with for winter. If there’s anyone you should take your transitional dressing inspo from, it’s definitely Eudon Choi.
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Models emerged onto the maze-like runway, lined with black iron railings, as the crowd watched in anticipation for J.W. Anderson’s SS19 collection. Leather head scarves with gold detailing crowned the girls as they streamed down in what looked like a series of soft tailoring, handkerchief dresses, check blazers and some form of slouchy pyjama dressing, true to the J.W. Anderson DNA.
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There was a sense of ease with the pieces that goes without saying, yet it looked like there had been a great attention to detail; as seen through the use of macrame, tassel hems and even crochet shoulders. Who ever said dressing simply had to be boring?
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If you didn’t get enough of his collaboration with Converse the last time, you’re in luck. The classic sneakers gets a makeover with a raised rubber platform with blue detailing at the heel. A tone down from the pair he previously designed with the sneaker brand and definitely a pair to cop before it gets sold out.
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Simone Rocha’s SS19 show setting was a hint of what was to come for her collection, set at the Lancaster House furnished exquisitely with lavish French deco. As lavish as the location was, what was to come was infinitely grander.
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The show notes revealed just about enough to satisfy curiosity but not enough to answer the one thing on everyone’s minds: How will she reinvent her signature calling card of puffy dresses and lace and pearls once again?
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The Irish designer looked to her Chinese heritage and fashion designer father, John Rocha, and his roots in Hong Kong and wove together what was essentially a love letter to the city and a celebration of its one-of-a-kind style.
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There were also elements that hinted that Rocha also took inspiration from the Tang Dynasty and it was, if you look closely, cleverly embroidered onto some of the dresses. Models donned lace headdresses, Jacquard dresses and her classic fluffy slippers, complete with beaded headbands and earrings.
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It was a show to remember, one that has definitely raised the bar for Rocha and also sales figures for those in tune with her iconic girly girl Victorian aesthetic.
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