London Fashion Week, the review

Picture this: The Somerset House. A splendid piece of Victorian architecture, its spanning courtyard littered with coconut water cartons, bizarre beauty drinks containing collagen and packets of diet popcorn. The scent of Dior and Diesel fragrances wafting through the air, the never-ending clicking of the camera scattering the cobblestone. The fructose bustling echos all across London, as quirky dressed men and women slip around the streets.

It's none other than London Fashion Week. And I can barely type this out without fangirling and shrieking aloud, but for this first time, I managed to be a part of it.

© Horst Friedrichs, Spiegel Online.

So my friend, Kinga Kurek, happened to acquire two tickets to the womenswear shows she was attending. Which meant that I got to attend, too! For the day, we both attended a very diverse selection of designers showcasing as apart of Fashion Scout, in the palatial surroundings of the Freemasons' Hall. 

For the first day, I was simply in awe. I cannot describe the excitement every thread of my being experienced when I was given free coconut water for the first time. I was photographed for numerous street style blogs and even interviewed by a few magazines, including Spiegel, It was surreal, I've never felt more like an accomplished figure in the industry than that first day of the London Fashion Week.

I saw four shows on my first day, they each possessed their own unique aesthetic: Jamie Wei Huang, 'Ones To Watch', Hema Kaul and Ashley Pham. 

Jamie Wei Huang SS15:

The first to which I had the absolute honor of attending was none other than famed brutalist Jamie Wei Huang. Entitled 'Metaphysics', the collection drew it's inspiration from the basic human experiences that cloud the polluted life of urban living. The pieces are subdued and sullen in colour, with not a neon droplet to be seen on the grey pavement catwalk. Soft pastels are broken by dramatic emeralds and sapphires, keeping it toned down and not straying too far into the avant-garde. Clean, refined silhouettes are apparent, uniting sports luxe with modern tailoring, creating a lucrative appeal. The sporty sheen is highlighted by the key piece of bicycle bags.

Ones To Watch SS15:

Standing as instrumental to the future of fashion design, Ones To Watch shows off the very best in emerging talent. This was, by a long shot, my favourite show. Setting the stage of the confluence of aesthetics was Youjia Jin. Jin's designs played on refined tailoring, the modest palette of concrete tones cemented the minimalism. The all white looks has limited texture and relied on drastic body shapes.

Min Wu flows a stream of dazzling lines and PVC garments onto her runway. The fluid shapes of the models contrasted the rigidness of the PVC's boxy dimensions. Wu interlaces many themes together - functionality, technology, modernity - to divulge in sturdy colours in contemporary frames.

The Little Mermaid's grunge phase sums up Cassandra Verity Green's punky coral display. Reminding me of techno K-Pop, it was a fusion of playful sensibility with colourful rebellion. The Coral Blue #5  coloured swimwear was matched with anemone fur, alongside geometric prints washing up onto the garments. 

The grande finale of the show came in the ornithological form of Keiko Nishiyama. Verdant prints were scattered over the apparel, with blithe woodland creatures and insects nestling into the stitches of blazers, shirt collars and billowing dresses. 

Hema Kaul SS15:

Within the golden, opulent grandeur of the Freemasons' Hall, Hema Kaul lavished her audience with an extravagant interpretation of femininity. An overpowering and prodigal sense of femininity was canonised via sateen and sheer empire line dresses and gowns, whose varying lengths showcased the broadness of Kaul's versatility. Shorter cut-out and body-con pieces illustrated the modern-day female, whereas, the appliqué flowers embroidered onto the bodices epitomised the traditional concepts of spring femininity. Dainty pastel were thrown against harsh metals inducing a sharp juxtaposition that was seemingly rounded off by the draping of the fabrics. I've mentioned the word 'femininity' about a thousand times because this collection truly garners a spectrum of femininity with an added twist of Hollywood glamour (the hair was backcombed and voluptuous) which was so beautifully captured.

Ashley Isham SS15:

Ashley Isham finished my first day at London Fashion Week in only the most excessive of ways. With booming silk gowns and skimpy dresses, paired with outré headwear, this blended the delicate natures of the two with high-octane glamour. The headpieces ranged fromspidered caps to an arrow shaped Perspex that glittered and shattered the flashing lights of the camera as the model strolled past. Necklines of cocktail dresses and swimwear were plunged to great depths, with splashes of hot pink and royal blues being thrown against the sea of neutrals.

London Fashion was the second sitting in this fashionable carousel known only as Fashion Month. Spanning across five days, I managed to attend shows within four of those five. Each show featured an artist whose interpretation of the coming Spring/Summer months was unique, but from the above, statement prints and necklines, alongside more muted and restrained colours, seem to be the prevailing trends that the au courant women of the world will be wearing (and that Primark will be copying).