5 Iconic Shows From LFW SS19

Opening the show with Stella Tennant, Beckham very quickly asserted her place on the LFW schedule. After 10 years across the Atlantic, she translated her effortless modern femininity into the British aesthetic. With dashes of red, white and blue, Beckham presented a collection which was commercial. Her fresh colour palette aptly reflected the modern woman who relies on a simple wardrobe of bold colours. For her eponymous brand, the design codes now, 10 years on, are truly established – Beckham understands the woman she is dressing. An art gallery on Dover Street acted as the backdrop to this event, hinting to Beckham’s most recent foray into the art world as she builds a 3-dimensional lifestyle for the cultural woman that embodies her clothes.

Celebrating her 10 year anniversary, Mary Katrantzou presented a collection inspired by stamps and other curiosities in the way that has made her designs infamous. Aptly she called it:

“a collection about collections.”

Joyful, busy and endlessly interesting, this collection was yet another triumph. It was an extravagant landmark, everything that one would expect from a Katrantzou collection without an overly heavy reliance on a decade retrospective. Particular stand out items included her colourful stamp dress that mixed humour with accessible style and the insect-inspired prints which managed to meld curiosity with sophistication. The show oozed confidence – quite rightly.

Gone seem the days that Alexa Chung was the festival it-girl. Her LFW debut with her eponymous brand instead felt self-assured, mature and luxurious. The collection itself was titled ‘Arrivals & Departures’ as it landed as part of  the London Fashion Week schedule for SS19. In fact there was even a sportswear airport look which was embellished with an ‘AC World Travelling’ logo. The show was jet-set inspired; there was, therefore, a joyful freedom and holiday spirit. This travel aesthetic is naturally Chung, she drew inspiration from Ibiza to Skegness, creating a playfulness which still translated into clothes for the modern women. Each piece was wearable but aspirational. It was an accomplished first entrance into the fashion week schedule and a pivotal moment for this model-turned-designer.

London fashion week is the home of young designers and though, for LFW SS19 there were a few more collections from established brands it remains the place for new talent. Halpern is the prime example of this. Michael Halpern established the brand during the AW17 shows in February 2017 during London Fashion Week – his graduate show from Central Saint Martins was a mere two years ago. Positively then, British Vogue commented that:

“Halpern is no doubt London’s fastest-developing young brand.”

It represents glamour – pure unadulterated glamour. This season in particular Halpern experimented with shapes from the 1960s, adding a disco edge to the swinging decade. His muse? His late grandma, a woman of the era, who inspired in him a whimsical re-imagining of the time. Halpern is one to watch.

After having been appointed as chief creative officer in March, after Christopher Bailey’s 17 year long reign, Riccardo Tisci was one of the most hotly anticipated shows of the whole season. He had worked for Givenchy, another iconic house but without the heavy cultural references that Burberry holds in Britain. He was now tackling an institution. The result was a staggering offering of 133 looks in three parts: refined, relaxed and evening. The opening section had an attractive charm. Classic trench coats were made to feel modern, knife-pleat skirts added an inevitable softness and the Burberry check made an appearance. It felt Burberry. The models swept the runway, a bright mid-century backdrop in the South London Mail Centre, with mock croc handbags and coiffed hair in buns covered with a signature Burberry scarf. This simply serene selection of designs however then transitioned into streetwear. Cumbersome mary-janes were worn with mini skirts, animal prints, leather and bold metal hardware. Clearly, Tisci was focusing on being commercial, providing both old and new Burberry customers with an accessible aesthetic. This desire to cater to everyone nevertheless resulted in a muddled identity. Finally, evening wear was a odd note to finish on. A few black dresses, trousers and bustiers, though each beautiful in their own right, felt a jarring addition to the end of an already polarized show. Titled Kingdom, Tisci was making a statement with his first collection:

“You can dress the mother, dress the daughter. Why have just one entity when you can propose for every age, every culture; different lifestyles?”

Commercial, universal and Burberry heritage? Only time will tell if Tisci can truly accomplish all three.