Amid some truly awful weather, London Fashion Week returned, admittedly with a somewhat slimmer schedule. While designers like Matty Bovan, Simone Rocha and Molly Goddard were back to show in person, big hitters like Burberry, Alexander McQueen and JW Anderson were absent (although that did allow extra focus on some exciting newcomers: POSTER GIRL, Conner Ives, Nensi Dojaka and Ahluwalia).
The overarching mood of AW22 seemed to be acceptance. LFW designers are over mourning for a life lost; they want the glitz and the glamour back. Fringing, feather trims, sequins and rhinestone embellishments, neon and primary brights, satin, lace and velvet, voluminous silhouettes and ruffles upon ruffles were spotted on a number of runways.
Condensing LFW – a five-day event with 131 designers taking part – into a select few trends is no mean feat. But here are five trends that cropped up again and again and won’t fizzle out before next winter is here. From statement accessories (gloves aren’t going anywhere) to transitioning your cowboy boots for the colder weather (Americana), read on for how to shop some of the top LFW AW22 trends now.
Après Ski Goes Clubbing
If you’ve never wanted to ski, POSTER GIRL, Mark Fast and House of Sunny may just change your mind. Theirs is not the après ski style you are familiar with – gone are the preppy reds, whites and blues, and Fair Isle prints. Nor is it a ski style that is practical. Rather, like the knit balaclava, sports sunglasses and moon boot trends before it, these designers are offering a more wearable alternative for those who can’t jet off to the slopes. AW22’s take on après ski is cooler, grungier, sexier, riffing off the ‘90s and Y2K. It’s made for the club rather than the chalet.
Barely there mini dresses are worn with furry snow boots and puffer sleeve gloves, exaggerated puffer jackets top sheer tights and sequin mini skirts while technical, ski-inspired trousers and jackets are paired with mini baguette bags. The trick is to mix and match ski-inspired pieces with your usual night-out wear for a cool, sporty, club kid vibe. Think cargo trousers or a sports top paired with sequins. Have fun mixing and matching, there are no rules.
All About The Gloves
Last season it was all about hosiery; for AW22 it’s your gloves taking centre stage. You can either go simple with block colours like Matty Bovan, Halpern, Eudon Choi and Conner Ives, or play with textures and patterns. We spotted embroidered lace at Bora Aksu, brocade at Paul Costelloe, beaded embellishment at Simone Rocha, football gloves at David Koma and puffer gloves at Mark Fast. Our favourite glove trend of AW22? The all-in-one sleeve-gloves seen at POSTER GIRL, Richard Quinn and Yuhan Wang. These aren’t so wearable but they definitely make a statement.
Exposure
Richard Quinn’s collection this season was all about covering up but most designers stripped their shows back, exposing and celebrating bare skin. Sheer layers, cut-outs and asymmetric hems were spotted at Halpern, spider-web knits at Edward Crutchley and House of Sunny, laser-cut leather, lace and crochet at Yuhan Wang, and embellished bodysuits at David Koma. Unsurprisingly, it was Nensi Dojaka and POSTER GIRL who excelled with this trend, proving how wearable it can be.
Dojaka has a background in lingerie technology and, just like last season, her elegant, underwear-inspired dresses and cut-out tights were a fashion week highlight. All about having fun, POSTER GIRL sent out cool, cut-out shapewear and diamanté-embellished tights draped with sequin-mesh and fur and leather accents, and peeking out under puffer jackets and biker trousers.
The key to this trend is to look for underwear-as-outerwear pieces with lingerie details and mix them up with more structured pieces. So, corset tops worn with your fave jeans or mesh dresses under leather jackets.
Americana
Matty Bovan, Commission, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy and Temperley London all had the US of A on the brain this season. Some took the inspiration more literally – Temperley London took a trip to the Wild West with wide-brimmed fedoras, neckties and riding boots – while others parodied its most recognisable symbols. At Charles Jeffrey Loverboy the classic letterman jacket was picked out in sequins, and at Matty Bovan the stars and stripes peeked out among punky, deconstructed knitwear and denim, finished with American football face paint and a rather pointed gun print.
As ever, Commission made the trend the most wearable, taking American motifs – denim, belt buckles, cowboy boots, leather trousers, bolo neckties, star motifs – and updating them with classic tailoring and knitwear.
Less cliché is newcomer and Central Saint Martins alum Conner Ives, a native American who is now London-based. Only six months after launching his eponymous brand, his LFW debut felt like a fresh take on American style: an era-blurring mix of vintage-inspired pieces and upcycled graphic T-shirts. Accessorised with butterfly clips, DIY jewellery, mismatched boots and Euphoria-esque face gems, expect Ives to blow up on TikTok.
Pretty Baby(doll)
The sweetest of silhouettes – the babydoll – is back. It’s not surprising, given how popular brands like Selkie and Lirika Matoshi have been over lockdown (remember the strawberry dress?). How will you wear yours? Perhaps with plenty of statement jewellery and print tights, like at Paul Costelloe? With chunky boots à la ‘90s riot grrrls like at Bora Aksu? With oversized knits and twee revival brogues like Molly Goddard? Or with lace-up ballet flats and a leather jacket like Simone Rocha? The styling options are endless.
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