Your need-to-know guide on the week’s events, as told by the Dazed fashion team’s Instagram
London Fashion Week SS16 is now over, following five days of shows, parties and the opening of a major exhibition. From Gareth Pugh’s celebration of Soho to sequinned skateboarders at Ashish – the Dazed fashion team’s Instagram account followed the action every step of the way. Check out our top ten moments from the event in snapshot form below.
SIBLING CHANNELED “FREE THE NIPPLE” VIBES
Although the label tragically lost joint creative director Joe Bates last month, the Sibling spirit remained unshaken in terms of design. In a show dedicated to the co-founder, models’ nipples were left exposed in a mash-up of leopard print, clear PVC and intricate crochet.
J.W. ANDERSON MASHED UP THE DECADES
Once again, J.W. Anderson optimised on the details. Featuring Dazed cover star Lineisy Montero – his group of models appeared in garments decorated with meandering patterns. The designer also opted for sculptural silhouettes, with oversized Elizabethan-style puff sleeves and corset detailing. He simultaneously referenced the styles of multiple decades, such as ruffles of the 30s and ribbed knits of the 70s.
SIMONE ROCHA MUSED ON FEMININTY AND BONDAGE
“There were a lot of mixed feelings about femininity but this time, rather than just being like, ‘Ah, there’s the girl’, it was a little confused,” designer Simone Rocha said backstage. After a trip to Japan earlier this year and as a devout fan of Nobuyoshi Araki’s work, Rocha’s designs combined palatable femininity and bondage motifs.
GARETH PUGH CELEBRATED SOHO
For SS16, Pugh paid homage to fashion week’s new home and a place that plays an integral part of his history. “For me Soho’s a little bit like Disneyland or a fairground, it’s about fantasy or escapism, you can go there and be somebody else” – and that’s exactly how his models came across. Dressed in 70s-style codes and with faces painted on by Val Garland, they embodied the anomalous and immortal spirit of the area.
CLAIRE BARROW SPOKE OUT AGAINST TECHNOLOGY
Technology became synonymous with the enemy in this collection from Claire Barrow. Entitled “broken machines” her signature sketches appeared macabre – as abstract shapes were sprawled across her garments to represent disjointed fragments.
MM6 MESSED WITH GENDER NORMS
Styled by Dazed’s own Robbie Spencer, MM6 Maison Margiela did away with the conventions of gendered dressing – as men wore lashings of baby pink and pull-on all over sequin gloves. Models also turned into percussion instruments – they sported dangling triangle earrings and tambourines morphed into chokers.
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD STAGED A POLITICAL PROTEST
After she rolled up to David Cameron’s house in a tank, Vivienne Westwood showed her campaign against fracking was only set to gain momentum. Dressed in printed two-pieces and Westwood’s signature off the shoulder dresses, her austerity army carried picket signs with the words “fracking is a crime”.
LOUIS VUITTON OPENED A MAJOR EXHIBITION
Louis Vuitton opened Series 3: Past, Present, Future – the label’s free exhibition which allows visitors to navigate through the mind of creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière. Running until October 18th, revisit the designer’s AW15 collection through a series of multi-sensory installations.
SKATEBOARDERS HIT THE RUNWAY AT ASHISH
True to his signature style, Ashish Gupta didn’t hold back on the sequins. From the crown of his models’ heads, to the white chiffon designs they were wearing – sequins in every colour glittered up his gang. The sparkle was offset however, by the graphic print skateboards that the models carried underarm.