Central St Martins Standouts

To see the Central St Martins MA Show at London Fashion Week is to see into fashion's future, as long as you can navigate the veritable mob scene outside. CSM has not only graduated fashion legends like John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, but also many of the newer names behind London's fashion renaissance, such as Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, and Todd Lynn. These CSM alumni had to jostle with influential buyers (Mrs. B from Browns), top models (Erin O'Connor), Hollywood celebrities (Christian Slater) and masses of others from London's fashion community to witness CSM's equivalent of the Crillon debutante ball.

While there was no Christopher Kane-like coronation this year, there were several names that caught our attention. David Steinhorst, winner of the Harrods Design Award, worked soft draped fabric, cinched with rows of metallic zippers that had been sewn together, leading a micro-trend of exposed zippers which appeared in several of the CSM collections. Textiles designer Mary Katrantzou also framed her bold prints and metallic hardware with horizontal zippers.

Continuing on the London knitwear trend, Simone Shailes took home the L'Oréal Prize for her looped, chunky knits, while Sachio Kawasaki knitted up black-and-white graphism for an effect that was almost print-like.

In menswear, Steve Jung shone with his monochromatic, off-white collection of lightly layered tops over narrow trousers and shorts, and Michael Sellinger picked up on a Thom Browne-meets-Tomas Maier vibe, with short suits and trousers in a soft color palette of greys and blues, paired with bold green knitwear.

—Imran Amed