Words: Katlin Siil

Gone are the days when London as a fashion capital took the backseat while Paris and New York dominated the scene. Still underfunded, London nonetheless boasts some of the most remarkable talent out there, drawing from its underground roots and adapting to a demanding commercial market. Day 4 at London Fashion Week demonstrated what sets us apart – we are the capital of forward thinking and innovative power, but we also pay tribute to our heritage. The combination of the two have created the perfect environment for nurturing fashion designers who, fresh out of LCM and CSM, are ready to take on the world.

Darker than usual, fashion duo Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos opened the morning with a Spanish renaissance inspired collection of their signature style prints and clever silhouettes. Full of bold reds and bright blues, the collection referenced fine art with its bold brushstrokes, along with the blazing Mediterranean sun. Last season favorite, the puffa-jacket, returned to the stage, along with a new looser jacket and coat, slashed skirts and the very Pilotto overdose of prints.

Detailing was also the name of the game at Antonio Berardi. He presented a cohesive collection in a limited colour palette, mainly in dark grays and blues, paying tribute to the female form with his constructed shift dresses, waistcoats and jackets. The simplicity of the collection was balanced by the long train. It made an appearance on several occasions attached to short dresses, jackets and most notably in the long gowns of the finale set.

Louise Gray’s collection was the much appreciated colour pop in an otherwise dark day. Typically Gray, it was a somewhat schizophrenic cacophony of mismatched prints, clashing colours and ironic styling in the form of librarian glasses and oversized bags. But it all melted together into a playful collection that made total sense. Broken down, it consisted of strong, wearable pieces from cute knits to fun short dresses to tailored separates.

Erdem, known for his luscious bright florals, stuck to darker hues this season. There was still the familiar flower patterns and lace, ladylike dresses and easy wearable skirt suits, but it all had an almost gothic edge to it. It was the cleverly placed sheer details, feathers and shimmer that made the collection sexier. If a designer who has become so loved for his style still feels he wants to – needs to – take risks and explore new territories, then he really has all to gain and nothing to lose.

Star models strutting down the catwalk, celebrities sitting like birds on a wire in the front row – it can only be Burberry. For many, the Burberry show is the only reason to travel to London between New York and Milan. And Christopher Bailey did not disappoint – he rarely does. Burberry collections don’t re-invent the wheel, but you can count on them to be 10 minutes of absolute aesthetic pleasure. This season, the Burberry girl was clad in animal prints, ballerina flats and carrying oversized clutch bags. She was sophisticated and a bit Catherine Deneuve in Belle de Jour and she was definitely more grown up – something we’ve seen in many collections this season.

Osman gave us perhaps one his strongest collections to date. It was opulent and showered in cold brocade, but it was the refreshingly simple colour pallet of whites and pale greys that created the fitting backdrop for his crafty patterns and detailing. The sheer tops went beautifully with the heavy tailored dresses, while the furs tops complemented the brilliantly cut trousers. There is something to be said about an all-white collection: it just works. Especially after seasons and seasons of bright collections and in the midst of all this black.

Trust Giles to bring a bit of theatrics to London Fashion Week. The man known for staging some of the most spectacular shows (The Black Swan drama at the Royal Courts of Justice, anyone?) gave another stellar performance and anyone who was anyone was there to witness. In typical Giles fashion there was an abundance of print, pattern and fabric. The familiar laser-cut leather made its mandatory appearance, while the floor-length flowing gowns, oversized puff sleeves and the dusty make-up on the models gave the whole affair a very ethereal feel. That, and Kristen McMenamy opening the show. Giles, we salute you for sticking to your guns (or scissors, as the case may be) and not paying attention to trends and all that jazz!

J.W. Anderson can do no wrong. He can give us boys in skirts and tube tops (LCM collections ring a bell?) and we still think he is a genius. That’s probably because he is with his so very distinct, so very unique and so very-very desirable painfully simple style. A pioneer of fuss-free fashion, his Autumn/Winter 2013 collection was minimal and sleek. He gave us an almost clinical show of cleverly draped blacks and whites, paired with tennis shoes and sleek hair – something only JW Anderson can make look feminine and sexy.