The top five trends from London Fashion Week and what you’ll wear next season
The Spring / Summer 2022 segment of London Fashion Week, which has just ended, marked a trend reversal: welcome to another fashion year, hopefully filled with many promising days to come after two years spent responding to the consequences of the pandemic. The trends that emerged were cheerful and deeply personal – from Simone Rocha’s reflections on motherhood after the birth of her second child, to the escape trends of up-and-coming young designers who yearn for mirth and inhibition. Beyond that, there were plenty of options for functional fashion enthusiasts and those with an affinity for glamor: expect rewritten rules.
oversized coats, Richard Malone x Mulberry bags
JW Anderson, Simone Rocha, Richard Malone
Now is the time to invest in Irish design. In the absence of industry heavyweights such as Burberry and Victoria Beckham, our designers led the charge throughout the five days of the event with confidence and finesse.
delivered vibrant colors encouraging you to seek out tough shapes and a cutting edge mindset that has resulted in a sophisticated wardrobe of sturdy outerwear options for the working lady or for those who like to chill out in. luxury.
from Wexford
The latest is a historic collaboration with British heritage brand Mulberry. Keep your eyes peeled for his take on the iconic Bayswater and Darley bags that included deconstructing, redesigning silhouettes and applying his stamp to the material. In true Malone style, the capsule uses recycled grain waste instead of new leather. As for the clothes, they were smart and pragmatic – from the tight-fitting dress with gathered details to the flared pants inspired by the horse rosettes he helped his grandmother make as a child. Of course, her pointed cut and leather outerwear was better than ever.
Orlagh McCoskey of Offaly, half of the party wear brand
showed their typical flowery and bright dish with dazzling results.
conveyed a reserved romanticism with a slouchy black suit and flowing red pants, sheer long sleeves and loose pants in dashing magenta. The two designers explained how women in Ireland and elsewhere can go from extravagance to ease with aplomb.
Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi (with roots in Tipperary) from
achieved something similar with a relaxed fit alongside more formal cocktail dresses, with everything assembled from scraps of fabric. As was the case with Kerry
which has continued to prove itself with well-designed programming that is sure to capture the hearts of the more adventurous among us. One of her striking oversized scarlet trench coats reminds you that wearing Irish is beyond a trend, a badge of honor.
strong shirt with flowing skirts
Roksanda, Erdem, Rejina Pyo, Yuhan Wang
London’s quota of stylish designs is far higher than its other counterparts. This season, the creators seemed to have a renewed sense of themselves and a clearer vision that they want to communicate.
A technicolor universe in shades of elderflower, chrysanthemum and marigold,
pleaded for challenge and sensuality with puffed volumes in tunics, capes and dresses rendered in recycled taffeta, giving her brand Soigne a sense of escape. Alongside classic feminine shapes like hand-cut 1950s couture-inspired dresses, there were refreshing nods to 1980s men’s suits in a patchwork of striking colors, patterns and stripes or sweet – a duality that makes things interesting.
TO
, the message was clear: invest in exquisite dresses, most of them skimming the ankle, decorated with botanical prints, English embroidery and beading details that can be streamlined with brogues or grounded in believable carefree thanks to the use of a simple production: cotton poplin waxed cotton, raw and crumpled linens. Celebrating 15 years in the business, the designer touted the virtues of book appeal with crisp shirts, gathered waistlines and structured pleats. The result is charming and less rarefied which seems particularly relevant as we stand now.
decorated clothes; disproportionate proportions
Simone Rocha, Roksanda, Molly Goddard
Three London designers excelled in access to emotion through clothing. For
, the physique and sleepless nights of being the mother of a 16 week old girl, born during the production process, influenced the looks that followed of tulle, lace and eyelet embroidery. A touching oscillation between serenity and darkness, highlights included lilac and white lace-hemmed nightgowns, lavishly jeweled nursing bras, PVC jackets with a frill tracing a bustier in blood red.
designed spring / summer during maternity leave: her oversized tulle pieces are inspired by the outfits she wore as a child. Here they have taken on a new meaning. One, an outfit that she was planning to wear by her future child, an outfit that could be adopted by any future parent or by fans of saccharin displays.
Somewhere else,
said the collection was in part intended to “represent a woman’s struggle.” This thought resulted in pseudo-psychological clothing that was, in the end, convincingly adaptable. Laminated flowing trench coats and capes with custom taffeta cut thread fringes, designed in their artistry and flashy coloring, the designer said to capture “a unique sense of chaos.” Meanwhile, overdone knits provide refuge, and tied threads evoke natural flow. Elsewhere, the procession is punctuated by loose dresses for the days when you may want the comfort of a tent-shaped dress.
lingerie-inspired dresses, fitted high waisted pants
Nensi Dojaka, David Koma
For many, October 22 symbolizes the reopening of society and, in turn, the return of the holidays. In London in recent years, designers have used lingerie-inspired fabrics as a way to make a statement about the urgent appropriation of sexuality, exploring the depths of the negligee and transforming it into something more utilitarian. With the imminent return of the holiday season, the sartorial motto of underwear as outerwear seems to have a renewed meaning.
A precocious talent,
led you to the dance floor with its boldly draped and twisted silhouettes inspired by ’90s and 2000s style. A men’s tank top is reimagined as a see-through dress embellished with sequins, and body-hugging bodysuits are accessorized with silver chains.
Keep an eye out for the young Albanian designer
, loved by Bella Hadid, who recently won the prestigious LVMH Prize, a grant of € 300,000 including a one-year sponsorship awarded to promising young designers. Think viscose jersey mini-dresses with adjustable straps or oversized sheer shirts, which exude unmistakable ’90s sex appeal. The dynamic duo Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault behind
played with seduction in their figure-accentuating bustiers and lace-up tops, complemented by low-rise stretch pants and a strict fit that translated things into the real world.
Elsewhere you had
, who despite the pandemic’s penchant for sweatpants and pajamas, is selling more evening dresses than ever. Will you be tempted by bold bodycon dresses in highlighter tones like fuchsia, chartreuse or shimmering bodycon jumpsuits of Swarovski crystals, embellished with marabou accents and sheer panels? Of course, London designers think it’s time to start the party all over again.
wool cardigans; weather resistant clothing; loose suit
Margaret Howell, Swedish Tiger, palmer // harding, Richard Malone
If ever a designer can be called an essentialist, it is the heroic
a practitioner of functional fashion, she fits into pieces such as casual poplin shirts, compact jackets and Japanese denim twill. Here, alongside Irish linen, airy knits and waterproof jackets, they skillfully revisited a timeless summer wardrobe in all humility. While fashion offers an abundance of highlights to savor after two years indoors, the case for simplicity has never been stronger.
To bridge the gap between the life we lived during lockdown and the reopening of society, think like
. The British designer, known for her tulle designs and her intoxicating, dry sense of humor, dreamed of smocked dresses, sweatpants, grandfather knits and ballet flats. In many cases, she’s combined them all, styling floral-print wool cardigans with smocked blouses and ’90s-inspired baggy jeans. With ease in mind, she elevated the sense of casual, giving practicality a glamorous and effortless side.
Another Irish designer, Bryan Conway, the man behind
interpreted Scandinavian simplicity by embracing fluidity in form but never letting function out of sight: check out her simple costumes that rest freely on the models’ slender frames and evocative silk dresses. Perfect for a return to the office.
