FAULT‘s fashion team hit the catwalk shows and backstage at London Fashion Week (Feb ’14) to bring you our favourite pieces from the Autumn / Winter 2014 shows. Stay connected – on Twitter, Facebook or right here on FAULT Online – for our round-up of the designers and trends that we have our eye on.

 

 Roksanda Ilincic

Is it safe to assume that come AW14 the colour Royal blue is going to be EVERYWHERE? Here it cropped up again in Roksanda Ilincic’s new collection. The pieces looked strongly influenced by modern art with staggered hemlines, interesting, angular draping, with strong use of colour and blocks of colour with sheer panels plus angular pattern repeating throughout. Stripes made a subtle appearance and could be seen on the edges of hems, around collars and and on the larger patterns of the clothing. Thick woolen, luxurious-looking pieces made way to a confetti dress made up of shards of colour, this then continued more subtly onto the other pieces that followed in the collection. Cute flat shoes and ankle socks reigned supreme, as did gorgeous chunky gold belts leaving us with a vision of the thinking woman’s wardrobe.

Words by Rachel Holland

 

OSMAN

The Osman A/W14 collection was a beautiful collision of the Middle Eastern- Moorish prints, Byzantine blue, dusty Moroccan pink- with the surrealism of Europe in the 1920s. These influences played off each other beautifully, with sleek, minimalist silhouettes allowing for intricately ornamental embellishment, surreal embroidery, and exotic details such as sashes. The palette was bold without being too much, with shades that felt well-researched and prints that seemed authentic. It felt that this collection really took a journey and paid tribute to the nuances and intricacies of another culture. Yousefzada laid out a new shape, with asymmetrical hemlines and skinny cropped trousers that seemed a nod to Raf Simons at Dior. The surreal details – bold eyes and manicured hands – did not impose, instead adding a lightness and playful quality to what was otherwise a very heavy, luxe look.  From full evening dresses to separates and accessories, this is a collection that will translate well both in print and on the shop floor. On the runway, the richness of colour and print made a striking impact, but the finer details of the texture and elegant tailoring really took this collection to another level.

Words by Will Ballantyne-Reid

 

Marios Schwab

In what felt like a much more commercial collection for Schwab, which felt less focused on the red carpet and more about bringing the label into the closets of modern women, an edge of cool could be seen throughout. With a play on hemlines, structure and with most of the hemlines super-short, this was a focused collection from someone who knows their target audience well. Leather jackets, bomber jackets and capes were slung over pretty dresses or leather trousers. Sheer layers with elegant shapes and even trains featured in the catwalk show, there’s something in this collection that would appeal to everyone and that, lies in it’s success.

Words by Rachel Holland

 

Erdem

Erdem’s collection took on elements of the 1960’s with references of fine couture and heritage techniques woven into delicate fabric, with the designers signature flowers and blooms. With many of the pieces having a purposely unfinished feel. The attention to detail, as always expected with this label, was exquisite. Gold, black and cream brocade sat alongside wet-look coats and jackets for an interesting contrast. Some coats and dresses were unexpectedly slashed at the elbows, sheer panels popped up at the neck and the focus on embroidery and embellishment could be seen in each piece. Far from being stuffy, this is a modern Erdem glimpsing at the past while striding forcefully into the future.

Words by Rachel Holland

 

David Koma

David Koma’s show was a slick affair, with each piece being well thought out, edited back and refined so that the brand’s message was completely clear. That the Koma woman means business. Open-toed boots or shoes clad every model, the boots of note being the knee-highs – giving the outfits a feeling of restriction yet freedom. The first looks that entered the catwalk were a rich purple in a complete body colour-block – a bold statement. This led to grey to white to black and finally to pops of royal blue. Caging detail and harnessing revealed hints of flesh, looking decidedly stern, yet, the full skirts were more of a feminine, pretty detail. Leather and ‘angular lace’ however were far from pretty, creating a bold, strong statement that despite the dominatrix overtones, look surprisingly wearable.

Words by Rachel Holland

 

Burberry Prorsum

Burberry was a painterly affair this season with botanical prints on bags, scarves and jackets with more than a passing nod to the artists muse or the 70’s bohemian, which is an unusual spin for AW14 but one that we can thankfully embrace. The longer skirt lengths, the cinched waist and the easy, draped shawls, blankets and sheepskin coats made for a high-class aristocratic mood, but one where the heroine runs away with a penniless poet, painter or musician. The monogrammed scarves, the caped trench and the hand painted bags will no doubt sell out fast as the must-have buys for the new season. The pretty delicate dresses and the wearable, statement coats will undoubtably be do well amongst the labels core fans. The Burberry powerhouse is showing no signs of slowing down, so it was fun to see Bailey having a lighter mood this season and looking to the bohemian for his inspiration, we applaud it.

Words by Rachel Holland

 

Peter Pilotto

This was a pleasant surprise from Peter Pilotto this season after previous seasons displaying a more restricted and refined aesthetic. There was colour and print and lots of it, having varying levels of success in some pieces more than others. Literally every piece was unexpected and just when you thought that you had the collection ‘fixed’ in your head, a new equally dazzling look would emerge down the catwalk. An alpine print was used to great effect in both a dress and a padded suit, the sporty, patterned coats felt extremely ‘now’, whilst the colourful patterned detail picked up where Mary Kantranzou has left off and took us in a new direction. I loved the slouchy layering of contrasting patterned knits, more so than the earlier pieces, I can imagine the effortless comfort of wearing these looks and yet looking totally wild and eclectic at the same time. Despite reading conflicting reviews elsewehere, this collection gets a big thumbs up from me.

Words by Rachel Holland

 

GILES

Giles is the designer who we can rely on to represent the cool British girls. This season he focused on playfulness and anarchy. The show was set in a dark car park in the East End of London to set the mood, with strobing lighting to add to the overall rebellious ‘Giles’ vibe. Punky looking girls strode the catwalk, with Brit model, Cara, snapping selfies of herself and the front row, creating an iconic catwalk moment. The theme was rebellion, the clothes either tropical bright, lime tartan or monochrome. Hummingbirds were the motif of the collection, trickling out towards the end as bugs crawling the edges of cocktail dresses. It did, as a whole feel a bit haphazard, however there were coveteable pieces in there, namely the capes, the long straight dresses, the leather items and the shorter dresses. The accessories will be perfect for wearability alone – long, leather gloves, huge scarves and punked-up boots will add an instant update to any winter wardrobe. Giles’ previous seasons are hard to follow, however we have no doubt that the best is yet to come.

Words by Rachel Holland

 

TOM FORD

Showing a wicked sense of humour, Tom Ford took a cultural reference and spun it on it’s head with his upgraded version of the ‘Tom Ford 61’. A knockoff top that’s been doing the rounds in sub-culture – Ford’s now turned into a glittery party dress. The rest of the collection felt 60’s and a bit rock n roll with a sombre mood. Monochrome featured heavily throughout the collection, with splashes of bold red, copper and leopard print. There was a big play on textures with sequins, leather, velvet and wool. Of note were the long velvet dresses, so casual and wearable, yet so high-end at the same time. They could easily be dressed up for the red carpet with some striking jewels or down with a pair of rugged biker boots.

Ford proves season after season that’s he’s a master of the catwalk. With a huge celebrity turnout, plus using big name models such as Karen Elson, Liberty Ross, Stella Tennant and Georgia Jagger during his show, his pulling power is clear to see. And that’s the reason why we keep coming back, because we just can’t get enough Tom Ford in our lives.

Words by Rachel Holland

 

KTZ

In the last year, KTZ has reached a whole new level of iconic brand identity. With the likes of Rihanna and A$AP ROCKY on board, the label has swiftly made an imprint upon the mainstream with its monochrome palette, bold prints and edgy proportions. In this vein, it can be easy to assume you’ll know what a KTZ show will look like before it comes down the runway. However the label somehow continues to challenge its own aesthetic, finding a new innovation whilst satisfying its cult following. This season the look was a sort of Medieval-Bionic-hybrid, with tabards and tunics in the form of oversized and embellished shirts and dresses, worn with leggings and trousers in beautifully manipulated silk and leather. Ribbed leather leggings had the look of machine parts, whilst jackets and tunic had a heavy luxury, weighted with geometric jewel patterns and studs. For their menswear presentation this season, the label sent models down the runway with snow-shrouded faces and this Arctic influence carried over; from the puffa jackets to the Doctor Zhivago hoods in pale silk lace. To put it simply, this was yet another triumph for a label that is already taking the world by storm. Who knows where they will be by next season?

Words by Will Ballantyne-Reid