London Fashion Week SS12

Burberry, Christopher Kane, House of Holland, Mary Kantrantzou, Peter Pilotto, & Roksanda Ilincic

London Fashion Week closed out with a bang by closing with the UK’s bigger names. Before jetting off to Milan, editors took in shows by talents such as Peter Pilotto, Mary Katrantzou, Christopher Kane and Roksanda Ilincic.

House of Holland was also feeling for the sorbet palette. But in through the eye of fun-loving Henry Holland, the effect was more aggressive. Netting and zipper detailing gave some looks a street edge – tough pastels, if there were an oxymoron. For patterns, Holland seemed to be playing with our animal senses. There was a glen plaid, followed up by a modified cow print and rounded out by python. It was a bit jarring, but at the very least entertaining, and a few 50s silhouettes coupled with the “mad cow” pastel print turned out to be quite the lovely combo.

In their signature style, both Peter Pilotto and Mary Katrantzou focused on unusual and fantastical prints. Pilotto’s offering was more tempered. Despite the splashy print on print runway pairings, separates hewed to very wearable classics: a crew neck, three-quarter sleeve top or a below the knee pencil skirt. In dresses there was more girlie pizazz. Bodices cut away at the shoulder for a more substantial halter and skirts tended to pouf from the waist

Coming off an outstanding fall 2011 season, Katrantzou had, perhaps, more expectations to bear. She once again had novel inpretations on print – this season in references to Toucan birds and general exotic flora and fauna – but while many of the looks were spectacular in their own right, they didn’t receive the same kind of editor fanfare from her “household domestics” print from the season past. Nevertheless, it was a strong collection in its own right. Like Pilotto, print on print and in combination with acid-toned color was a running theme.

Christopher Kane, a favorite of Donatella Versace and designs her Versus line, was feeling more sporty. Shorts were abbreviated and in print and there was even a tennis vest sweater added for effect. Kane was also playing with contrast and balance; for example, though the cuts were classic sportswear, the finishes were not. One tulle tank were embroidered with flowers (another in crystals) and simple long jackets came in floral brocade.

Roksanda Ilincic was less concerned with prints and embellishment than she was in solid color and silhouette. Her collection ran long and cut mostly in silk, had a fluidity to it. Though the colors have been tweaked, a gleaming russet matched with turquoise, some looks brought to mind Jil Sander’s Spring 2011 collection with it’s volume and proportions

Meanwhile, much-watched Christopher Bailey of Burberry was up to his usual trench reinvention. He opened the show with an eggplant number, belted and pleated below the waist for a dressier effect. With mauves, muted teals and colbalt blue, the collection could have passed for an autumn one, but then again, Bailey seems to understand that seasons and fashion rules have gone the wayside. Why not wear a pom pom hat on a chilly spring day?

In any case, there were plenty of covetable separates, softer and in some ways more approachable than the harder edged collections of past seasons. Patterned sweaters were paired with swingy below the knee skirts. And a striped taupe and black trench danced just the right line of tailoring and no-brainer dressing.

All images: Catwalking.com

By: Bee-Shyuan Chang