London Fashion Week AW15 Tuesday

Ashley Williams

Ashley Williams emerged as a hotly tipped designer through Fahsion East in 2013, since then she has gained NEWGEN and Swarvoski sponsorship and showed solo for the first time for SS15. Williams’ AW15 collection was inspired by Riot Gurrrl hero Kathleen Hanna and It Girl/actress Chloe Sevigny. This came through in illustrations and slogans that wouldn’t look out of place on punk band tees or skateboards. Fun-fur coats in pink and black, as well as floppy furry bucket hats were a 90s throw back, but the collection kept it’s cool with off beat styling and leather and pvc adding tough-girl edge.

Marques’Almeida

Young label Marques’Almeida moved on leaps and bounds in their collection for AW15. Another of the Fashion East set, the pair have been showing at London Fashion Week since SS13. Beginning the show with the frayed denim that the pair are famed for, this time dyed bright red, pink and green, as well as classic blue. Asymetric folders and tucks formed the garments’ silhouettes. Next up were bright coloured ribbed knit dresses, again asymmetrically cut, as well as chiffon interpretations of the denim looks. Interspersed towards the end of the show were bright floral brocades, which used the same shapes and systems of wrapping and tying to great effect

Christopher Raeburn

London’s king of casual cool Christopher Raeburn, showed a womenswear collection that had echoes of his recent mens show (shark print, duffle coats and puffa jackets) but was a brighter, cleaner offering. A tight colour palette revolved mainly around navy, orange, grey and black and white, but also incorporated looks in brown and olive. Their were many interesting details, Raeburn used quilting on skirts as well as jackets, and pockets and fastenings were large and functional looking. The shark motif moved from knitwear to shark-shaped bags and mittens to add an element of fun but in general this was extremely practical style and all the better for it.

Ashish

Street style sass from Ashish on the final day of London Fashion Week.  His collection of patchwork fur, lingerie shapes, sequin camp and distressed denim was inspired by high-class hookers and Jane Fonda’s character in cult film Klute. Sexy, sporty styles; oversized sequin parkers and culottes held the collection back from the edge of Pretty Woman territory which the skimpier shapes might have strayed into. This Ashish girl has definitely been around the block, but she’s come back tough and liberated and the styling of hardcore red nails and punky colour block fringes, brought the look into the current realm of London street style.

Michael Van Der Ham 

Embroidery and appliqué,  applied delicately to dresses, sweatshirts and outerwear in Michael Van Der Ham’s signature collage style. The real beauty was up close in the fabric details; brocades, jacquards and organza, developed by the designer and applied to garments with edges left frayed to emphasise the craft of the exercise. Sweaters, outerwear with pin tuck waists, were cleaner adding a modernity to the looks and overall the collection was colourful and accomplished.