LFW trends: folds, sheer fabrics, fresh florals

Pleats 

One of the big stories on the runways this week was the pleating. Everybody seemed to be at it, from Massimo Nicosia at Pringle of Scotland (who opened his show with a sporty pleated skirt), to Christopher Kane, who worked pleats (sometimes paired with rope motifs) across his collection. At Thomas Tait, who was showing his first collection since his LVMH prize win, pleats jutted out at asymmetric angles from models’ hips and were also draped across the torso on the diagonal. 

Sheer 

Like pleats, practically everyone played with sheer fabrics this season. Both Mary Katrantzou and Erdem used sheer silk as a foundation for layers of further embellishment (florals, feathers and trellis motifs for Moralioglu; ancient fish and lizards for Katrantzou). Tom Ford went for a sexy, direct approach, sending out models in full sheer tops (with built-in sequin nipple covers). Top prize goes to Antonio Berardi who created one of the week’s highlights with a dégradé tuxedo jacket which started as transparent at the shoulders but was inky black and opaque at the waist. 

Floral remix 

Spring-Summer 2015 at LFW was also all about the florals, but as usual with this city’s fashion scene, the onus was on providing something with a twist. As Issa this meant black and white abstract daisies, while at Mulberry there was an ultramodern twist on honeycomb patterns and classic florals. All that flora got a geometric, early 20th century rendering at the hands of Peter Pilotto and his co-designer Christopher De Vos, while House of Holland had a retro 1960s and 70s flower-power vibe going on. Preen by Thornton Bregazzi (always innovative with their prints) played with the trend too.