Well it was the final day of what has been an amazing, fun and intense week at the S/S16 London Fashion Week and to round it off I got to see the Christopher Raeburn show at the BFC show space and the Toga runway show at the Royal College of Surgeons all after having a gorgeous brunch with the team at Jo Malone, where I was introduced to their amazing new fragrance Mimosa and Cardamon.
It's a really gorgeous fragrance and perfect for this time of year as the Cardamon has a real warm, sensual element which is perfect for the autumnal nights.
1st Outfit
As I was going to the Brewer St car park official show space to watch the Christopher Raeburn show I knew it was going to be quite a big affair and so decided to dress up a bit more than the previous two days and so I wore my heavily embellished black sheer tunic top with my Asos pleated mini skirt, I then accessorised the outfit with my strappy stilettos which have been amazing this week as they have been remarkably comfortable considering all the long days and travelling I've done.
Shop the look!
Embellished sheer tunic: Asos asos.com @Asos
Skirt: As above
Shoes: asos.com
And busy it absolutely was, in fact in was totally packed with people still arriving literally minutes before the show began. It was an amazing atmosphere as the show space began to fill up and you could feel the intensity as the press and camera crew waited with baited breath. A graduate of the royal college of art and receiver of countless accolades including the 2011 'emerging designer' British Fashion Award for menswear, awarded by the British Fashion Council, Raeburn uses re worked and remade garments in his innovative approach to design, challenging the ideas of masculine and feminine. His Sarawak collection was highly evocative of this as he showcased pieces inspired by jungle territory. As the lights came up and the first model made her way down the runway the sound of camera clicks and flashes circulated the space in a frenzy.
Using re worked airbrake parachutes to create mesh inserts which are then transformed into olive and sky blue dresses and separates, the collection was delicate whilst maintaining the signature utility look Raeburn has become renowned for.
It was an amazing collection that was full of highly impressive design elements and a focus on sustainability. My favourite piece being a stunning black dress with sheer inserts and a black and white tie belt.
Here's my other favourite pieces!
2nd EventToga Runway show at the Royal College of Surgeons.
Fresh from the bustle of the Christopher Raeburn show, I made my way across London to the Royal College of Surgeons to the Toga runway show and was greeted with a significantly different atmosphere.
The college hall was dimly lit with beautiful blossoms placed strategically down the runway creating a very peaceful, serene environment which proved to be perfect for Toga's aptly named Petals, Minerals and Squiggles collection.
Using attentive detailing and print to resemble elements of nature such as tightly embroidered spangles which created an effect of scales and wrapped tulle evocative of the delicate colours of a floating jellyfish the collection was extremely interesting.
Feminine ruffles and pleats accentuated beautiful tailoring accessorised with gorgeous ruby red ankle boots which I absolutely loved!
Highlights
So after 6 intense days the SS16 London fashion week has now ended and the fashion spotlight has now descended on Milan before moving on to Paris next week. It was an amazing week to be part of and I feel I've definitely learned an awful lot in terms of design and presentation. It was so wonderful to have the opportunity to view a breadth of talent from fully fledged designers to the emerging next generation.
Beautiful gowns from Nadine Nerabi.
I also met so many incredible people from bloggers to designers to stylists to bona fide fashionistas.
I've witnessed incredible skill, artistry, vision and talent, whilst having a lot of fun and sharing the experience with some of my closest friends.
It really was an incredible week so much so that I'll be counting down the days to do it all again in February for AW16, but in the meantime I'll leave you with my predictions for what will be the big trends to hit next season to keep you ahead in the fashion stakes!Top Trends for S/S16
Sheer!
As seen at Christopher Raeburn, Simone Rocha, Erdem
Brights!
As seen at Zandra Rhodes, Christopher Kane, Fyodar Golan
Lace!!
As seen at Bora Aksu, Huishan Zhang and Erdem
See you Soon!
Love Natalie X