Over the weekend, London Fashion Week kicked off with presentations for the Fall/Winter 2020 season. Below, we’re sharing details from shows by Victoria Beckham, Simone Rocha, Halpern, and Matty Bovan.
Victoria Beckham’s latest collection was inspired by the different ideas of women—their various personalities, special moments, and unique attitudes. Beckham touched on a life of no restrictions, heightened by the tension between refinement and rebellion. For Fall/Winter 2020, we see evolved silhouettes—spirited and flouncing, fresh and shorter. “I wanted to explore how to honor tradition but challenge convention. To be subversive yet still sophisticated,” said Beckham in her collection notes. Classic fabrics are reimagined, with new shapes and combinations leading the line. A matching all-plaid look is seen topped with a jacket buttoned just at the top; a schoolgirl houndstooth-esque skirt is woven with a shiny fabric for extra pizazz; and a fun jumpsuit, with a satin bra-like top and culotte-like bottoms, is paired with a sleek pair of white boots.
Courtesy of Anat Ebgi.
Simone Rocha’s Fall/Winter 2020 collection is an ode to transition—from birth to life to death. Birthing smocks and Baptism clothes are a few looks that the brand highlights, made of fabrics like lurex tweed, tailored lace, and cotton. Tops and jackets with wide bows are seen dotted with gorgeous pearl details and floral embroidery. Dresses with sheer panels drape to the shin, topped with a ceremonial-like sash with details that match long earrings. Shoes also bear flashy details—some with pearly details and metal chains, others with feathery features. And for accessories, we’re loving the large knapsack bags—woven and carried in the arm, pearly and held by the hand.
Halpern is a label that caught our eye for the first time this season—for its lively looks infused with voluminous draping, intricate embroidery, and rebellious pairings. Presented at Old Bailey, Halpern’s Fall/Winter 2020 collection touched upon the dress codes of societal classes, groups, and subcultures that reflect their values. Seen with the transition of time, wardrobes are re-appropriated and mixed with new and unrestricted values and details. British society activated many notions—from rebellious looks for those that mingled in the 1970s, to the glamorous garb for the bourgeoisie. Some looks embroidered the DNA of haute couture, with draped gowns embodying opulent details made from avant-garde techniques—like a robe in floral jacquard made three-dimensional through recycled sequin embroidery, adorned with bent sequins. Plexi-glass wedge shoes created by Christian Louboutin for Halpen were paired with several looks, heightening the ‘70s manifesto. And special for the new collection was a denim capsule created in partnership with J BRAND.
Courtesy of Victoria Beckham.
Matty Bovan’s latest collection made its way onto our social media channels in a flash. First, we saw images of models making a new kind of entrance—through individually parted curtains that hung above their heads, held up by a contraption erected on their shoulders. For Fall/Winter 2020, the designer’s looks lived between reality and fantasy, sure, but they pulled on inventive threads. Shapes and silhouettes were dreamed up in new proportions, as hair and heads adornments by Stephen Jones complemented those larger-than-life looks. With a nod to Americana style, the British designer also showed hand-appliqued Swarovski crystals onto upcycled Fiorucci denim; technique was tested with creating a lamé jacquard coat, featuring salvaged plastic fringing; and bright tulle forms floated with Liberty Fabric cushions that sat underneath the hip; and images borrowed from the British Library’s archive were seen on custom screens.
