Words: Katlin Siil

Day 2 of London Fashion Week kicked off bright and early (much to the dismay of those party-hopping the night before) with an array of not-to-be-missed shows. The previous day had been a promising start, and designers showing yesterday were equally impressive with strong, well-edited collections. It was a showcase of forward thinking designers, whose youthful energy has given a new lease of life to British fashion.

Well worth the painfully early wake-up call, Sheila McKain-Waid at Daks put a fresh spin on the heritage brand’s own fashion vernacular. It was an energetic, even somewhat sporty, understated contemporary translation, focusing on looser shapes, chic layering and comfortably familiar Daks checks. We like where this is going.

Antipodium followed with the same youthful, but sophisticated aesthetic. Creative Director Geoffrey Finch, in his own words, is preparing for a future under surveillance – a world where social media and CCTV, along with the digital imprint of our ‘real’ lives, whether voluntary or forced, rob us of any kind of privacy. His idea of bottled up sexuality can be seen in the latex-luxe dresses with Peter Pan fur collars and metallic leather shifts. Whatever the inspiration, the collection itself was a tasteful showcase of ‘dangerous’ materials worked into a cohesive, colorful (hot pinks, oranges and yellows) and typically ‘Antipodium’ parade of wearable ensembles, dresses and outerwear.

It was only a few seasons ago when the three crazy knit-monsters behind the label SIBLING launched their womenswear line Sister by SIBLING. Yesterday morning, that little sister was all grown up. Making big brother proud, the Paula Yates inspired collection struck the perfect balance of crazy yet wearable. The cute flower print skirt-sets and fluorescent crochet skirts were complemented by oversized barrettes, robust knit-flower tops and Nordic-print swimsuits. With Cara Delevingne opening the show, what could go wrong?

Christopher Raeburn, London’s latest wonder boy surprised us with a more feminine collection that usual. The designer, known for his technical outerwear, added a more feminine touch this time around. There were dresses, skirts, smart separates and of course, jackets and coats. Everything was designed and manufactured with environment and sustainability in mind, often recycled from production leftovers. He is clearly a passionate pioneer of the utilitarian, wearable and ‘honest’ fashion, perhaps the only conceivable future of the industry as a whole…

John Rocha’s Edwardian forest fairies were a welcome theatric interval to a morning that mainly consisted of wearable sobriety. The black chiffon headpieces and typically Rocha-like a-line crafted dresses, skirt-suits and soft cashmere coats were reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm and the ‘Woman in Black’. The Rocha woman doesn’t care about trends. If taken apart, the collection was more modern than usual with its long and lean shifts and smart separates, but as a whole, it was exactly the refreshing un-trendiness we had expected.

Todd Lynn took us back to sleek minimalism, tailoring and wearable simplicity. Lynn is a fine testament to just how little one needs for a successful collection – playing with only a few shades of grey, he created a well-developed showcase of deconstructed tailoring. The girls were covered up, layered and sophisticated; even his origami inspired finale set of dresses and the sexy sheer crochet pieces were pages torn out of Lynn’s well read book of austerity.

David Koma’s perfectly Koma-esque collection showed his clear obsession with vinyl records and what one can do with them with if equipped with the right set of tools. Koma’s Autumn/Winter 2013 collection was a fine reminder of why we fell in love with his creative mind in the first place. Yes, he likes to deconstruct and reconstruct just as much as his peers from the CSM days, but there is something more to his futuristic vision, something that sets him apart. It was flirty, playful even, yet so very complex and full of surprises. Clever details, shapes and unexpectedly manipulated patterns adorned perfectly cut outerwear. Koma showed that he knows what makes his girl, the young avant-garde vixen, tick.