London Fog Clears

It seems that London is growing up even while the hemorrhaging of designers showing in the city continues (this season saw the departure of Sophia Kokosalaki, next season Julien Mcdonald). Not that it has lost any of its creative, free spirited or urbanized edge (it is still the center of emerging talent). Rather, the city often referred to as the unruly child of the international fashion circuit appears to have reached a happy medium between the conceptual and commercial. Instead of an avant-garde circus, buyers and press were offered an abundance of trends and clothes that could be worn.

The strongest of these trends is undeniably print and pattern where Jonathan Saunders and Eley Kishimoto lead the way followed closely by Emma Cook, Clements Ribeiro, and new label Ashish. Saunders has cleverly accentuated the female form by using compass arcs and straight lines to separate graduated, tropical colors in everything from swimwear to floor length evening gowns. Eley Kishimoto went bolder, brighter and more experimental than ever. With a nod to their recent collaboration with Ellesse their sport-inspired collection combined everything from spots, stripes, stars and lollipop swirls to paisley and seventies retro prints — in the most graphic colors of course.

Two labels reinforced this trend, with an added injection of humor. Giles Deacon — the golden boy of A/W 2004 — sent models including Linda Evangelista out in exaggerated '40s and '50s dresses made of monkey, thistle and owl jacquard prints. Whilst Basso and Brooke — winners of the Fashion Fringe competition (journalist Colin Mcdowell's quest to find the next McQueen, which awarded them £100,000 and business advice from fashion big wigs for a year) tied their subversive, east meets west collection together with kaleidoscopic, whimsical fabrics that subtly featured orgies. According to the designers it is an "orgiastic carnival of sexual liberation with allegories of power". Ok!

Despite the proliferation of other trends such as the Seventies (Bora Aksu, Jenny Packham), the raised waist (Temperley, Camilla Staerk, Alistair Carr) and subtle deconstruction (Gardem, Preen, Jens Laugesen), the loudest message that echoed through the week was not so much a trend as an overriding mood of individuality. London has always been the city that looks straight to the street for inspiration, and if the current street scene is anything to go by — uniformity and regurgitated dress codes are out. Attendees of London Fashion Week confirmed that the standard fashion editor's get-up of vintage T-shirt and battered jeans has finally disappeared. In its place comes singularity. From a tuxedo suit topped off with a party hat (yes, cardboard birthday version) to an ever so chic red ensemble — fitted red suit, red stockings and red shoes — personality is quite clearly the latest accessory du jour.
-Gudrun Willcocks

Photos: Eley Kishimoto spring 2005
Basso and Brooke spring 2005
Ashish spring 2005
Clements Ribiero spring 2005