Of all the excuses available, anniversaries are the fashion industry’s favorite. They sell bags, justify a meeting of supermodels or give meaning to a celebration. The latest edition of London Fashion Week coincided with the 30th birthday of NewGen, the program with which the British Fashion Council helps younger designers establish and launch their brands in the international market and of which they have formed part from Alexander McQueen to Ahluwalia.
But, like the best parties, most of the conversations revolved around other protagonists. “Has Anna Wintour arrived?” “Is Edward Enninful coming?” “Have you sat together?” “Have they exchanged words?” (Not before my eyes).
All to reach an impossible conclusion about whether it was the rivalry between the head of global content of Vogue and editorial director of Vogue USA and the editorial director of British Vogue and all the European editions (the positions are becoming longer and longer and are in the hands of fewer and fewer people) which has led to the departure of the latter, who will soon be replaced by Chioma Nnadi in her role as commander of the British edition of the magazine.
The only thing capable of silencing the rumor of a good gossip is a better one. Or the soprano who gave voice to the Roksanda parade at the Barbican Centre. By far, the Belgrade-born designer’s dresses are still as beautiful as those that made her famous at the beginning of her career. Up close they twist and complicate in the best possible way, until they constitute a photograph as sharp as the one of her tailoring.
A very different setting, the British Museum, put a very different collection, Erdem’s, into context. A tribute to Deborah Cavendish, the Mitford who married the Duke of Devonshire and made Chatsworth House her own, the patchwork of some of the fifties dresses was made with curtains from her mansion. The documentation work and the transfer of data to the garments were worthy of a biopic, and the Barbour that opened the show deserved whatever price it ended up carrying on the label.
The appointment with Richard Quinn was also a tribute. A white rose and a card that read “This one is for you, Dad,” awaited each guest at his seat. The farewell to Patrick Quinn, who died last June, was not sad but solemn; exactly like the designer’s clothes. Armed, voluminous, embroidered or excessive, they are taken out into the street only when the occasion or the mood requires it, with the certainty that what they experienced with them is not going to be anything out of the ordinary.
Still in the non-minimalist chapter: Molly Goddard added a new point in favor of her affirmative position in the debate on whether her enormous tulle skirts are suitable for everyday wear and Simone Rocha sweetened her proposal – pink and around the theme of the flower that gives its name to the color – shortly before it was announced that she would be the new designer invited to sign Jean Paul Gaultier’s haute couture line.
London also has ready, very ready, takeaway proposals. With a second show and sales on the rise in times of recession, there is no doubt that Holly Wright and Camille Perry, creators of Tove, know not only what they are doing, but where they are going.
What about the young people in this edition that celebrated their relevance? Di Petsa presented a sculptural collection of which little has been seen on Instagram because it exposed the breasts of her models. Yuhan Wang’s, inspired by Tess, the d’Ubervilles and Polanski’s Tess, seemed designed precisely for those who feed their Instagram profiles with Tumblr content. Mowalola garnered an entire morning of comments on Twitter. Her provocative designs, seen from the front row by Ye (with whom she has collaborated since he could be called Kanye) have the same number of detractors as defenders.
On the list of absentees, special mention goes to Christopher Kane, Nensi Dojaka and Dilara Findikoglu. Stopping, gaining momentum, is worth missing out on a party.
Here’s another thing that fashion capitals share when they organize their fashion show calendar: the most important events are left for last. Burberry, playing a different game, was present throughout the week, naming the Bond Street tube station after itself and transforming the atmosphere of Norman’s Cafe.
Daniel Lee’s second collection was presented under a huge checkered tent in Highbury Fields, and began with a change in silhouette (the belts descend to hip level) as significant as it was risky, compensated in the commercial aspect by each shoe and bag presented. Without the presence of obvious logos and without overusing the paintings, Lee seems to be determined to return Burberry to the place he occupied in the 2010s. And the best thing: his plan does not seem to contemplate rush.
