Explained by Rhiannon D’Averc with Hattie Payne
FASHION
Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. And yet, here we are. Florals dominated at a number of designers amongst them Erdem, Tifaret, Simone Rocha, and Richard Quinn. These ranged from floral prints to appliques, with 3D flowers making a big appearance.
Ahkeke did not explicitly show florals, but did take their entire colour palette from the inspiration of a hidden garden in London, with soft pastels mimicking the colours of the flowers and plants that grow there.
Tailored suits were strong this year, with many designers preferring their women to power dress. Notable examples came from Banshee of Saville Row, Toga, Noon by Noor, Yuhan Ao, Ray Chu, Bettie Haute Couture showcasing with Fashion
Hong Kong and – as always – Malan Breton.
The colours of the season appear to be black and white. While many designers opted for a pop of bold colour here and there, monochrome outfits took centre stage. INFDARK took inspiration from ravens for their geometric prints, while 16Arlington’s looks were sleek and sculptured, creating very strong silhouettes.
Other designers getting in on the monochrome trend included Richard Quinn, Mithridate, POET-LAB, Noon by Noor, and Yuhan Ao.
Styling took a nod to the past on many catwalks. From Bettie Haute Couture’s traditional British shapes in earthy checks and tartan, move to the Grace Kelly fitted waists and flared skirts of Richard Quinn and Erdem. Everything was very elegant, very demure, very mindful – unless, of course, you turned your eye towards the designers leaning more towards the punk. Angus Tsui at Fashion Hong Kong gave us intricate pattern cutting, pleating techniques, and fabric experimentation with a punk/sci-fi bent, while Tara Kari at Global Fashion Collective and Chet Lo loved their reds and blacks. Harris Reed gave us glam
punk in an extravagant style. And, of course, Dreaming Eli continued their
signature style of romantic draped, torn, and wispy fabric hanging off their smokey-eyed models.
A pecularity of this season was a rather unnattractive (in this Editor’s opinion) shade of brown fur, which ‘graced’ catwalks from Simone Rocha to Toga and Sinead Gorey. If you must do fur, of course, it goes without saying that it must be faux; this fashion moment may, we hope, be short-lived.
Art was part of the story at Erdem, with hand-painted portraits printed onto soft and flowing fabrics for an ethereal feel. Over at Harris Reed, hand-painted accents on the clothes accentuated the curves and lines of the wearers’ bodies. S.S. Daley featured painted scenes on coats and dresses.
Inspiration was also artistic: Bettie Haute Couture drew from the Bauhaus movement, while Tifaret was inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1964 film
Red Desert.
Some designers opted to strike a completely different note – see Barrus’
use of glowing sunset shades – and these we applaud for going against the
grain. It’s not easy when a fashion movement grows organically, and the same culture inspires all.
HAIR
Many shows featured soft, flowing, and natural hair, allowing the styles to echo the shape of clothes crafted from soft and flowing fabrics. These included Erdem, Noon by Noor, both designers at Global Fashion Collective, UA in UK, and many more.
Others opted for a scraped-back, slicked-down look, removing the hair as much as possible from the front facing view of the model and allowing for more of a focus on the clothes. You can see examples of this on the models at Malan Breton, 16Arlington, Harris Reed, Edeline Lee, and so on.
Some designers, it must be noted, opted to do away with models altogether. They showcased their work on mannequins (Wanni Fuga, On|Off), or simply placed jewellery and other accessories on plinths, tables, bowls, stands, and even statues (Samantha Siu, Completedworks). The increase in the use of non-model presentations in recent seasons can clearly be attributed to the cost involved in
hiring professionals to stand around looking good in the clothes: use mannequins instead and you can hire or just buy once at a much lower price, allowing you to reuse them again in the future (or even in your store). Still, there is a certain magic lost in seeing the clothes and accessories presented in such a flat and undynamic way.
Hair was cut shaggy at ZIDI with Fashion Hong Kong, or crisp and sophisticated at Bettie Haute Couture. A small group of designers opted for period hairstyles, coinciding with their vintage inspiration for the collections.
The male models sported hair that was left, largely, to its own devices, showing a little lack of imagination. But then, what more do we normally expect of menswear?
ACCESSORIES
Let’s start with the shoes: kitten heels at Erdem dusted with feathery outcroppings that could clean the floor as the models walked, wedge heels at Harris Reed, and mid-calf boots at Malan Breton. Pippa Todorson took the boots up above the knee, while Alex S. Yu left them at the ankle.
Edeline Lee’s models appeared not to have legs of their own, with smooth cream boots emerging from every look without a slip of skin on show. Tightrope boots appeared at both Tara Kari and INFDARK. A number of designers opted for punishingly tall heels, contorting models’ feet to tortorous heights while others opted for a sensible flat, or even a combat boot. The dual influences of escapism and preparedness for the current political climate could not be overlooked by
attendees.
Bags took on some interesting shapes and sizes – ZIDI models carried lengthy arch bags with their eccentric eyewear, while Tara Kari’s wore elongated handbags that would fit a bottle of red.
Hand-beaded crystal embellishments, silver-thread embroidery, and larger than life bows adorned the catwalk at Barrus, leading the way in some of the key accessory trends for the season.
Yuhan Ao’s models carried dramatic bouquets and leaned on suitcases, while S.S. Daley’s bags matched models’ painted and knitted clothing (including for the menswear).
Aadnevik sent every model down the catwalk in a cowboy hat, while Simone Rocha’s carried draped stoles and coats over shoulders and arms rather than wearing them.
BEAUTY
Want a smokey eye? Of course, you do! We always do! We’ve got them on catwalks a-plenty, from INFDARK to Tara Kari and Angus Tsui.
A chic red lip stole the show at Bettie Haute Couture and 16Arlington, while minimal, dewy skin kept the focus on the clothes at Harris Reed. Well, not too much – sculputural false eyelashes also spidered their shadows across models’ cheekbones.
Lips were darker and more dramatic at Noon by Noor, while the makeup was so pale at Richard Quinn as to almost obscure the models’ faces.
Tifaret, Aadnevik, Chet Lo, and others kept their models natural, almost bare-faced, but others went in the opposite direction. Jean Louie Castillo at Flair Fashion Frontiers literally painted his models grey, echoing a gargoyle look. Malan Breton’s party going beauties wore full lip and eye looks, strikingly echoing the colours of their clothing.
Genaro Rivas and Dreaming Eli opted for a dreamy, romantic gothic look, with dark eyes and lips and flashes of red.
Menswear looks were, by and large, bare-faced. A notable exception was Ray Chu, where the shine was on for eyes and cheekbones regardless of gender.
MISE EN SCENE
With the current economic climate in a state of despair, many designers were pushed to think beyond the usual perimeters of the catwalk. Intimate dinner parties, independent bookstore pop-ups, and digital installations were amongst the alternative ways designers chose to showcase their collections this season. Despite this grave decision to save money, the designers of London Fashion Week 2025 have navigated these treacherous waters with ease. Giving smaller designers a chance to be recognized, this format has proven to be far more enjoyable for designers and attendees alike.
Many designers opted for grand halls to set their stages, relying on the opulence of architects gone by to add gravitas and elegance to their shows.
The most exciting traditional catwalk of the season must go to Richard Quinn, where snow drifted elegantly down to dust the shoulders of chic women fresh from a dinner or cocktail party.
