Over the last three days, we have watched the fashion industry come together, adapt and

transform London Fashion Week Men’s into a digital event in response to the Coronavirus

outbreak.

It may not have been the same experience of running in between shows, meetings and

events, but we were not left disappointed. We’ve watched discussions, podcasts, virtual

exhibitions and virtual catwalks all from the industry’s leading fashion voices.

It’s been a hectic three days, so if you missed anything from the weekend festivities, we’ve

rounded up our top moments from LFW.

Friday 12th June

To begin, let’s take a moment to catch up on how Friday’s events came to an end.

Liam Hodges presents Miss Jason & Hasani B2B in support of LGBTQIA + POC

After a full day of discussions, catwalks and exhibitions, the first day of LFW came to an

exciting end with a DJ set from Miss Jason & Hasani B2B to raise awareness for LGBTQIA+

POC in the UK. You can donate here.

Not only was the final event raising awareness for an incredible organisation but got us

feeling for the weekend and very excited for the rest of Fashion Week to continue.

Video of Liam Hodges presents Miss Jason & Hasani B2B in support of LGBTQIA + POC

Saturday 13th June

KA WA KEY

KA WA KEY showcased a mixture of SS21 and archived pieces for the second day of LFW.

The collection was showcased using only a green screen, a London home and a very creative

mind, all produced during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The video, named “There’s no place like home”, was inspired by nursery rhymes and fairytale characters. We couldn’t tell if it was real life, or we were hallucinating.

Check out our favourite pieces from their AW2020 collection below:

XANDER ZHOU AW20

Chinese fashion designer, Xander Zhou (and the first-ever menswear Chinese designer to be

included in LFW Men’s) walked us through his latest AW20 collection in a very futuristic,

digitally voice-over ‘critical update’ video.

Each showcase was very unique from the next, transitioning from monochrome buttoned

shirts to colourful pixel puffa jackets. He really took ‘fashion-forward’ to a whole new level

with this collection.

Take a look at some of the best looks below.

XU ZHI PRELUDE

Fashion designer Zu Zhi debuted his latest AW20 collection in a virtual catwalk film. The designer really pushed the boundaries of a typical catwalk, in true corona style, with seamless transitions between an underground tube station to a luxury city apartment, which really captured the inspo behind his latest collection. Elegant fashion that can be worn from day to night. Tassels, faux fur patching and distressed fabrics took centre stage to this latest collection, all the while keeping his signature tailored look.

Video of XU ZHI PRELUDE

NABIL NAYAL/ Chapter X: The Archives in Blue

In a 4-minute short film, Syrian-born British fashion designer Nabil Nayal, presents his tenth

collection and takes a look back at his ‘hero pieces.’ To sum up this latest collection, there is only one word to use. Blue. “During the Reformation, blue was highly regarded as a moral shade, separate from the true colours of red, green yellow and purple, which were deemed extravagant and grotesque. Blue allows me to see the archives in a new light, without detracting from the essence of the garments,” says Nayal.

Check out our favourite pieces below.

15 Year of TONI&GUY hair on London Fashion Week

One of our favourite moments from the weekend was a trip back to look at all the best TONI

and GUY hairstyles on the LFW catwalk over the last 15 years. We got a look behind the scenes at how hairstyling has evolved over the last decade and a half, through showcasing many designers including the likes of Giles, Jean-Pierre Braganza, Betty Jackson and Paul Costelloe.

Take a look for yourself.

Video of 15 Year of TONI&GUY hair on London Fashion Week

OSMAN YOUSEFZADA’s film ‘Her Dreams are Bigger’

Osman Yousefzada shared a very enlightening short film to highlight the issues of fast

fashion and to give a voice to fashion factory workers in Bangladesh.In the film, workers are asked to give their impression on the kind of women who buy the clothes they make which really highlights the inequality the fast-fashion chain. Some of the impressions included; “They look beautiful,” “they eat different kinds of food,” “they’re not black like me,” “their lips are like dolls.” It’s an eye-opening document that shows the lives of those behind the clothes. It’s a story everyone should see.

Video of OSMAN YOUSEFZADA’s film ‘Her Dreams are Bigger’

Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY Presents SOLASTA.

To round down Saturday we listened into a live-streamed fundraising event for UK Black

Pride. We don’t want to give too much away, but to celebrate his AW2020 collection, Charles Jeffery took us to the basement where his fashion house LOVERBOY was founded to hear from musicians, dancers, spoken word artists and designers. All to raise cash for Black Pride. Needless to say, we were left feeling very inspired. Donate to UK Black Pride

Watch the event here:

Video of Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY Presents SOLASTA.

Sunday 14th June

RIXO ‘Flora’ Resort 2021 Collection

For Rixo’s digital LFW presentation, they released a short video teasing us with their resort

2021 Flora collection. The look book was shot in Rixo’s co-founder Henrietta’s family home

garden surrounded by trees and flowers to show off the collection.The collection features a load of florals, ditsy prints, daisy embroidered knitwear, floaty summer dresses and watercolour roses. Really living up to its name. The collections not available to buy online yet, but check out the teaser video

Video of RIXO ‘Flora’ Resort 2021 Collection

Stephen Jones Millinery ‘Analogue Fairydust’

Stephen Jones Millinery treated us to a preview of his Spring-Summer 2021 collection,

named ‘Analogue Fairydust in collaboration with Noonoouri. The short clip gave us an insight into what’s to come from the upcoming collection, featuring everything from a fantasia star covered mask, to a dark grey wave crown to a floating silver embellished top hat. All modelled on a VR doll. We couldn’t tell what was real, and what wasn’t!

Watch the full video here:

Video of Stephen Jones Millinery ‘Analogue Fairydust’

LFW Designer Diary: Roksanda

It was short but very sweet. An inside look into the colourful, elegant world of Roksanda. In

a ‘Designer Diary’ she showcased her inspiration during the lockdown and the efforts put into

making her latest collection. In her AW2020 line, she experimented with everything from camo print, to burgundy leather to chunky knitwear. There’s no running theme which each look different to the next, but we are obsessed.

Natasha Zinko x DUOltd SS21 Collection

“A nostalgic celebration of Land of the Free that is a stark contrast to the painful and

harrowing imagery that has emerged from the US in recent weeks.” Her latest collection is described as ‘optimistic’ and ‘youthful’ as it’s filled with references of peace signs, hippie flares, heart prints, smiling faces and a lot of cowboys. The collection is to embody what the American Dream is supposed to embody, drawing attention to the recent violence and protests.

View our favourite looks below

LN-CC Presents the ‘Late Night- Conscious campaign’

The ‘Late Night- Conscious Campaign’ supports luxury brands to help produce sustainable

clothing and to raise awareness of issues that face the fashion industry to help bring about

social change. Instead of presenting her Spring/Summer 2021 collection on the catwalk, British-born designer Martine Rose released a capsule collection in a performance piece narrated by

activist Kai-Isaiah Jamal

View the campaign video below:

Video of LN-CC Presents the ‘Late Night- Conscious campaign’

John Lewis & Partners presents the LFW

For the first time in history, the public got to walk the John Lewis & Partners catwalk to raise

money for The British Fashion Council. In true lockdown fashion. Hundreds took part in the showing off their own John Lewis summer looks, making it a ‘fashion moment to remember!’ We loved everything about it. What a way to end the weekend.

Watch the inspiring video for yourself

Video of John Lewis & Partners presents the LFW

Words by Clare Stephenson

Graphics by Georgia Walters

The post Our Weekend Highlights from Digital London Fashion Week appeared first on Voir Fashion.

What will we be wearing in Spring/Summer 2020, according to the runways? The mood of the season reflected an influential shift in a fashion industry that has long been based on a one-in, one-out cycle of trends to one that’s beginning to take responsibility for its detrimental environmental impact. In turn, a renewed focus on carefully crafted garments swept the catwalks, where streamlined sartorial messages overpowered the constant need for newness generated each season. In spite of the somewhat sombre mood that swept both the runways and streets as the weight of the global climate crisis fell onto the fashion industry, there was no shortage of uplifting creativity, with plenty of out-there trends, OTT moments and an abundance of colour offering a wearable manifestation of hope for brighter days to come.

Rainbow Leather

An all-time fall favourite, the Autumn/Winter 2019 catwalks saw an abundance of the finest sweet leather in autumnal shades of olive, tan and burgundy. For Spring/Summer 2020, the leather trend has taken a colourful turn, with injections of colour offering a cheerful yet infinitely chic antidote to sombre autumnal hues – from vibrant orange and sugary pastel blue at Bottega Veneta to buttery yellow at Emilia Wickstead and supple lavender at Louis Vuitton.

Head-to-Toe White

The tonal dressing phenomenon, aka drenching yourself HTT in varying hues of a single colour, has been gaining momentum over the past few seasons, but this season there’s a particular monochrome look en vogue: white. All-over white suiting is SS20’s key to effortless chic. Look to Alexander McQueen for luxurious lace ensembles, or Tory Burch for boxy power-suiting. And for the perfect all-white outfit anatomy: white wide-leg trousers, a clean-cut oversized blazer, glossy white ankle boots and a fedora hat.

Short Shorts

Plenty of designers made a case for hot pants this season, with a plethora of leather, satin and denim iterations of the shortest shorts gracing the catwalks. Barely-there shorts were almost ubiquitous at Chanel, featuring short silhouettes in metallics, boucle and black silk partnered with gold chain belts. Isabel Marant unveiled a number of frayed denim shorts in varying washed out shades, while Brandon Maxwell’s tiny, so tiny they were basically underwear, hot pants oozed sex appeal.

60s Psychedelics

AW19 was dominated by a 70s nostalgia, with tweed, equestrian-style boots and gold-chained accessories all seeing a revival. Now we’re heading back a decade further to the swinging 60s, with a renaissance of free-spirited silhouettes, saturated colour palettes and bold, graphic prints. Florals for spring may not be ground-breaking, but this season they’ve taken a psychedelic turn – see Louis Vuitton, Christopher Kane and Fendi. Look to cult brand Rixo, whose care-free, Woodstock-inspired SS20 show offered a collection of paisley prints and vintage-inspired florals.

Tangerine Orange

Taking the crown from AW19’s egg-yolk yellow, tangerine orange is the statement colour for SS20. From decadent ballgowns at Valentino to silky elegant day dresses at Stella McCartney, the abundance of orange on the catwalks symbolises a sartorial manifestation of warmth, with the citrus shade evoking connotations of creativity, joy and success.

Go Green

Designers from Dior and Dolce & Gabanna to Versace and Marni presented a visual reminder of the need to respect nature, in the form of tropical prints inspired by jungles, forests and exotic flowers that paid homage to the transcendent beauty of nature and the wilderness. But beyond the surface-level approach to going green, the best collections sartorially participated in the conversation around climate change and the future of the fashion industry. Alexander McQueen was just one of the brands to upcycle materials for its show, with creative director Sarah Burton upcycling fabric from old collections designed by both herself and Lee McQueen, while as ever sustainability was at the heart of Stella McCartney’s collection.

Crotchet

Plan ahead for your 2020 festival looks, taking inspiration from the runways where crotchet was plentiful in the form of vacation-ready maxi dresses and fringed capes partnered with western- style boots. Salvatore Ferragamo’s forest green mini dress, paired with barely-there sandals, screamed summer beach-day, while Ulla Johnson offered a festival-worthy coral-pink sleeveless blouse.

What Trends?

To claim that the SS20 runways were trendless at the end of a list of trends would quite obviously be entirely contradictory, but there were nonetheless a number of shows for which that can be said, at least to some extent. As brands attempt to juggle the ‘less is more’ mentality as an antidote to excess, designers such as Celine, Prada and Bottega Veneta unveiled more stripped back, streamlined collections, offering a showcase of silhouettes that lend themselves to reinterpretation season after season.

Words by Ruby McAuliffe

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post SS20 Trend Analysis appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Each year, a myriad of eye-catching dresses compete for recognition as the dress of the season. Even though you’ll most likely know at least five other people who already own it and have posed in it for an Instagram photo, it’s still the must-have wardrobe item to invest in. Thanks to the infamous social media platform, and the way that social media has democratised fashion, these ‘it’ dresses spread like wildfires, with the success of ‘cult’ favourites such as Topshop’s spring florals, Zara’s viral polka dots and Ganni’s seersucker gingham in part coming down to the power of influencers. Has the influence that Instagram has had on the most covetable ‘cult dresses’ quashed the value of these ubiquitous items, or does their status as universally chic and flattering fail-safe pieces hold sway despite their pervasiveness?

It’s hard not to get caught up in the crowd and break away from the mainstream, especially when a flattering, cool one-piece is the perfect wardrobe essential, a fail- safe number to take the stress out of getting dressed. From the aforementioned high- street favourites to cult frocks among street-stylers and FROW-goers found on the rails at RIXO and Réalisation in the form of bold 80s-inspired prints and romantic spring florals respectively. Its pulling power lies in an easy-to-wear, flattering on all shapes and sizes style, and a standout print. The key to becoming an ‘it’ dress –an embodiment the season’s biggest trends juxtaposed, with classic yet statement- making prints and OTT feminine shapes reigning supreme in the current landscape of cult dresses. The success of each head-turner destined for cult status is measured in its online omnipresence, evident in the @hot4spot Instagram account documenting the popularity of Zara’s infamous summer polka dot florals, or in the plethora of online magazine articles it becomes the subject of – apparently six members of staff at British Vogue invested in Ganni’s neon green gingham piece this summer. If you’re looking for an investment piece that’s versatile enough to dress up or down according to occasions, you know where to find it.

The power of social media to transform a covetable piece from a one-of-a-kind to inescapably ubiquitous for some might be a source of sartorial solidarity, for others one of embarrassment. Investing in a statement piece that makes you feel joyful when wearing it suddenly doesn’t spark so much joy when everyone else is also wearing it, all over the streets and your feed. Thanks to their pervasiveness on social media among fashion insiders and Instagram A-listers, there seems to be a correlation between how soon a dress’ status as a cult piece expires and how much we are visually exposed to it online, so that we feel less inclined to wear it in protest against the quashing of individuality.

There exists a sort of oxymoron in society today – we are in the golden age of thriving fast fashion, yet sustainability is perhaps the most pressing issue facing the fashion industry. While a cult dress might seem like a wardrobe investment bought to last, a trusty, reliable number to return to when in sartorial doubt, the one-in, one-out cycle of cult dresses is just as guilty of encouraging consumption. The influence that Instagram has on the existence of cult pieces means that, like trends, the relevance of cult dresses blows up, and then expires, as the next frock swiftly comes along to take its place. And when it does, we’re left with outdated pieces that were once the most covetable wardrobe essential. Their power as the trendiest, most wearable dress might last a season or so, but their intrinsic link to social media means their societal relevance is more time-sensitive than ever. I wonder if we’ll still be seeing those black and white polka dots next year.

Words by Ruby McAuliffe

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post What Makes a Cult Dress in 2019? appeared first on Voir Fashion.