The Home of Avant-Garde

London designers never fail to deliver what the city is known for in the fashion industry - the weird and wonderful. Distinguishable trends that were picked out amongst the myriad of designers include distressed knits, cosy fur and classic lace. Commonalities with New York in terms of trends include oceanic blues, shocking reds, artistic patterns and knee-high boots. Besides J.W. Anderson, Mary Katrantzou, Christopher Kane and House of Holland, who have always kept to their acquired taste, designers such as Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and the iconic Burberry Prorsum displayed their ability to produce artistic ready-to-wear garments. 

Justin and Thea from Preen have once again proven their ability to fuse the sophisticated without hindering on the punk heritage of London. The colour palette of black, red and white have always been signature to the label, and combining these with geometric patterns and futurist fabric choice is applaudable. As a sci-fi geek, what won me over was of course, the Star Wars motif. You can't go wrong with a Darth Vader mask smack bang in the centre of your outfit.

Mary Katrantzou has been recognized as a woman who starts trends - especially with her famous kaleidoscopic creations. Over the years, her aesthetic has altered, but remains true to the puzzling pizzazz to the eye which she pulls off. This season, she has mixed Art Nouveau patchwork and modern British signage into dresses, sweaters and evening wear. Despite this bold move, its much more subtle than her previous collections, but the occasional odd toilet signage creeps its way into the garments, which is camouflaged well by the expert technique shown by the designer.

Christopher Kane is a favourite amongst the artistic fashion enthusiasts. For this collection, Mr. Kane has somewhat reduced the abundance of the ornamental and focused on materials. The most interesting details of his latest collection is the pvc leather detailing which is consistent throughout, even spreading to shoes and bags, fabric layering and the laser cut sleeve details that resemble the presence of ruffles, throughout the evening wear. In contrast to this, fluid lace has replaced the daring prints Christopher is known for, but is nonetheless executed well. An abrupt change of aesthetic for Christopher Kane, but a welcomed one.

Burberry Prorsum was highly anticipated, and the hype was certainly to no disappointment. The flurry of notable socialites attended the show didn't overshadow the outstanding artwear on offer. With the overly exposed Cara Delevingne leading the runway, timeless dresses, scarves, shoes and bags were emblazoned with painted floral prints. Comfortable custom designed capes were what captured the audience's attention during the finale, accompanied by Paloma Faith's powerful singing, proving that Burberry is still a fashion force to be reckoned with.

View the collections at www.fashionising.com

Images courtesy of Jamie Stoker, Dazed and Confused, Lea Colombo, Burberry, Fashionising

London Collections: Men Autumn/Winter 2014

Jonathan Saunders Autumn/Winter 2014

British menswear is unlike any other men's fashion scene in the world. British men have a style that is eclectic and vibrant yet they have nothing to prove - they dress this way because they love to, not because they have to. London Collections: Men gives an opportunity for British menswear designers to showcase what they have conjured for the coming Autumn/Winter 2014 season, and I have created a series of photo-mosaics of the key pieces from the designers' collections of the best from the three day event:

E. Tautz

The orderliness of E. Tautz upcoming collection is balanced with a hint of boldness, due to the eye-catching geometric prints that appear on the garments all throughout, whether pieced together or discreetly in the form of an accessory. The varied colour palette of dark blues, grey, camel and vivid red only emphasize this balance of high sartorial and noncommittal approach to minimalism and artwear, and is perfect for men who are not as confident in showing a bit of flare in their fashion sense.  

James Long

Mixing minimal and the outrageous seems to be quite a knack that some designers are displaying as of late, with one such designer being James Long. Throughout the collection, pieces such as well-fit track pants, monotone sneakers and sunglasses are uniform, whilst outerwear takes on a more resolute role. Oddly quilted coats and spray jackets  and sweaters featuring prints reminiscent of the cyberspace of Tron couple with the uniform, reflecting the trend of lone statement pieces within men's outfits, but in futuristic style.

Matthew Miller

The tiniest details are what have always stood out in Matthew Miller's collections, alongside the eye-blinding colour choices, but in his Autumn/Winter 2014 collection, a darker turn has arisen. The darker colour palette consisting of greens, blues and blacks is rarely chosen by this designer, but he has done so successfully by ensuring the garments still have elements of the adventurous. The outstanding detail throughout the collection is the stitching together of the same coloured materials in the trousers, subtly altering the boxy silhouette of men. 

Oliver Spencer

Oliver Spencer's signature style is once again shown flawlessly in his Autumn/Winter 2014 collection. A mix of casual and formal, yet keeping to vivid colours such as bright orange, heathered grey and differing shades of blue, is typical of this British designer. The odd print here and there is present, to complement the tailored looks with movement and interest.

Topman

Fast fashion isn't always a stampede of trends coming at you, as Topman proves with their designer collection every season. Topman's collection is focused on the quality of the garments, with a specially curated few dictating over the usual turnover of trends within its stores. This season's collection relies heavily on the slightly risky turtleneck, textural trousers and altering men's highly sartorial silhouette. 

Burberry Prorsum

Following Burberry's leopard and hearts prints from the Spring/Summer collection, a more calm yet subtly patriotic collection was shown. An emphasis on silk scarves, wrapped around the collar of the men, questionable totes and dynamic outerwear, was easy to spot. The presence of the mesh wife beater did not hinder on the spirited pieces throughout the collection, including scarves with London maps, but rather complemented them, and even diversifies the collection into a trans-seasonal one. 

For a preview of all the British designers' collections, head to www.londoncollections.co.uk

Images courtesy of Fashionising

Mosaics by Christoffer Aguilar

Prehistoric

It's no secret that the enigmatic American fashion designer, Rick Owens, follows a darker path in design. His clothes are infamous within the fashion industry, and there is a clear cult of followers who adhere to the shadowy stream of fashion of which he hails. Earlier this year, the designer let The Wall Street Journal into his Parisian apartment, revealing he is completely dedicated to this aesthetic. The designer has now expanded his furniture range, named "Prehistoric", which is scarily reflective of his fashion designs. The range is predominantly made from petrified wood, in the typical colour palette of greys, blacks and whites, and would be more of a modern interpretation of the Ice Age than prehistory. The furniture range is now on display at the London's Carpenters Workshop Gallery.

Images courtesy of GQ Australia

Style on the Streets

Nick Wooster, Creative Director of Menswear for JC Penny

Every September, the world’s fashion elite flock to the fashion capitals of London, New York, Milan and Paris to celebrate their communal passion for fashion curb their eagerness to peruse what designers have conjured up for the new season. Let’s take a look at the best street style shots from this year’s fashion month....

Miroslava Duma, Fashion Writer

Anna Dello Russo, Editor-in-Large of Vogue Japan

Giovanna Battaglia, Editor of L'Uomo Vogue and W Magazine

Hanne Gaby, Model

Candice Lake, Fashion Photographer

Saskia De Brauw, Model

Susie Lau, Blogger for Style Bubble

Images courtesy of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, GQ, StreetFSN

Fashion Month GIFs

Prada

Fashion month brings about many changes within the fashion industry, and most of the time, collections that reflect the ever-changing and evolving design aesthetic of designers and labels. Whatever the month of September brings, the heart of it all is fashion. The non-conventional UK magazine, Dazed & Confused, have uploaded a series of GIFs on their website appropriating a few of the best looks throughout the collections presented throughout the month...

Givenchy 

Chanel

Alexander Wang

Fendi

J.W. Anderson

Proenza Schouler

Confused? I was too. Don't worry, head to Dazed Digital to find out what the hidden meanings behind each are!

Images courtesy of Dazed Digital