Fashion week is the time of year when the most inspirational and diverse of the fashion crowd show us what to expect for the season ahead. The shows take months of preparation, with the biggest fashion houses pulling out all of the stops to showcase their collections. As anticipated, some of the most celebrated designers have come out on top once again.
There was a noticeable shift in the collections of the big players this season. The palettes contained brighter pops of colour and more adventurous materials were used to give us ammunition for the upcoming Autumn Winter season. Looking back on what has been an inspiring fashion ‘month’, we have picked out our favourite trends, styles and designers of AW17.
ANYA HINDMARCH
Anya Hindmarch describes her AW17 show as exploring ‘the contrast between the romanticised notions of winter and wanderlust and the darker motifs found in Old Norse folklore.’ Pairing fur patch jackets and unexpected rainbow coloured accessories with classic autumnal fabrics, the designer looks to have had her most influential and successful season yet. One aspect that has hit this year’s trend on the head is the paper chain design, which is sure to be a firm fashion favourite from this designer’s new collection as well as other fashion houses, such as Mulberry, looking to exploit the new craze.
Shop the Anya Hindmarch collection
CHANEL
French power house Chanel is still getting it right under the creative direction of Karl Lagerfeld. The show is always a focal point of the season, never failing to provide an flamboyant platform for their latest collection. And this year didn’t disappoint, with the display culminating with the launch of a space shuttle inside one of the most extravagant monuments in Europe - The Grand Palais, Paris.
Lagerfeld still managed to stay true to Chanel’s values and signature features within his futuristic ‘outer space’ theme. The brand still heavily featured quilting, monochrome and high quality leathers within most of their latest accessories but added a sense of fun and flair, as demonstrated by the super-cool perspex rocket bag. This is sure to go down well with the luxury brand’s extensive followers.
LOUIS VUITTON
Another brand staying true to its core is Louis Vuitton. This year’s show, under the creative direction of Nicolas Ghesquiere took place at The Louvre, a nod to the political focal point of his new collection. There was a slight parallel between LV and Chanel this year, with futuristic design as a recurring theme.
For the accessories, Ghesquiere hasn’t stretched too far outside the box, or introduced a new stand out piece, but rather evolved what has proven to bring success to the brand previously. The runway featured new takes on some of LV’s most iconic and coveted models, such as the Petite Malle clutch and Twist bag. This meant lots of exquisite textured leathers, luxury fabrics and playful colouring on the structured bags. Regardless of sticking to the classic shapes, there is no question that Ghesquiere had one of the most established and innovative shows of the week.
Shop the Louis Vuitton collection
DIOR
Dior has significantly changed direction this year by turning back the clock on their designs and drawing inspiration from the archives. The brand is harping back to their more vintage collections but keeping a modern twist on the structure and fabrics. This is all down to the brand’s new creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, who has really made her mark on the French fashion house this season – in the aftermath of an equally celebrated and successful debut collection.
The accessories featured thick embellishments paired with more relaxed and casual shapes, which gives a feminine edge. Most notably, the vast majority of accessories in the new collection sported the bold new block-print logo ‘DIOR’, which was championed by Chiuri ever since her very first collection. Dark hues also featured heavily among the collection this year, some say as an homage to Christian Dior - who’s favourite shade was Navy.
