London Fashion Week FW22: Erdem, Eudon Choi, Raf Simons

The fringe culture of the 1930s captured through the gaze of female creatives like Madame d’Ora, Anita Berber, and Jeanne Mammen informed Erdem’s Fall/Winter 2022 designs. The decade’s subverted traditions, underground clubs, and newfound freedom—in dress, identity, and expression—were the catalysts for the collection’s interwoven styles, which brought together elements from day and evening wear, along with men’s and womenswear styles. Terms like frivolity, glamor, and giddiness brought the mood we’re all searching for in the wake of the pandemic—embodied in luxe fabrications, glittering adornments, and prints and patterns falling in line with imagery of a smoky cabaret. Looks we’re still thinking of include a matching set in a silky green floral plissé styled with a sequined cap and scarf, a long skirt with a fringed hem paired with a white button-up and long leather gloves, and an intricately detailed gown with beading and sequins paired with a cap, a scarf, and practical glossy brown loafers.

Eudon Choi’s collection “Red Desert” continues the maison’s look at Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1965 film of the same name, following the story of Giuliana, who struggles with ostracization in an industrial world after a car accident. Just as the film relies on color to portray Giuliana’s emotions, Eudon Choi’s Fall/Winter 2022 designs employ a boldly emotional palette of red, orange, olive, and blue, which are seen across reimagined classics and designs recalling the 1960s—like double-breasted trenches, long and lean trouser cuts, suiting, swinging dress shapes, and accessories like thick headbands and ankle strap heels. Finding a parallel between the film’s look at the negative effects of industrialization on the environment, the collection utilized responsible fabrications like organic cotton, ethical cashmere, and recycled or surplus materials.

Raf Simons’s Fall/Winter 2022 designs debuted atop an elevated runway that surrounded a suite of sheet-covered seating and an enormous glittering chandelier. A bassy electronic soundtrack set the scene for the chicly contemporary silhouettes, playing with a mixture of texture, shape, and color to create looks that seemed familiar without taking the form of anything we had seen before. Silky bias-cut dresses were reimagined as jumpsuits, blazers were constructed sans sleeves worn like shawls, and fuzzy hats were extended into armor-like face coverings leaving an open slit for the wearer to see. There were cabled knits, fuzzy accessories, and soft mohair, seen alongside materials like glossy latex, smooth velvet, and shimmery-finished leather. Imagined in varied tones like black, green, red, and purple, a few standout pieces included the satin bags with long, dragging trains; a suite of inventive headwear shapes that reminded us of various historic styles; and a series of fuzzy sweaters that were crafted like backward capes, fastening at the nape of the neck while featuring knitted graphics in the front, mimicking the shape of a typical sweater.