A day before London Fashion Week started, the Vivienne Westwood memorial service took place at London’s Southwark Cathedral, where plenty of known faces paid homage to the legendary British designer and environmental activist who passed last December at the age of 81.
Although some collections were showcased exclusively online, many fashion shows took place at different venues in the British capital in this post-pandemic recovery period (like JW Anderson’s structured wardrobe of “talking” t-shirts, with the designer presenting a collection perfectly balanced between past and future). This fashion week also marked the debut of designer Daniel Lee (who recently left Bottega Veneta) for Burberry, and after seeing a preview of the new logo (which I personally prefer to the previous one launched by Riccardo Tisci, that I found too similar to Balenciaga), I was very excited to see Daniel Lee’s new work for the house.
At the same time, Moncler’s fashion event called “Art of Genius 2023” took place in London; the Italian luxury brand presented a collaboration with American designer Rick Owens and the evolution of Genius into a co-creation platform that blends different sectors. I really enjoyed the collections of established British designers such as Simone Rocha and Christopher Kane, which I have included in my seven favorite looks from London Fashion Week rounded up below:
1) SIMONE ROCHA: for the FW 2023 collection, Simone Rocha was inspired by Lughnasa, the Irish harvest festival that aimed to offer thanks for the summer harvest. The designer stated: “I started looking into the rituals of relationships, because I wanted to continue to show women and men together: how they correspond. [My time working with Moncler] made me much more appreciative of the technicality of garments.”
There were in fact many technical details in this collection that make you really appreciate the uniqueness of each outfit. The men’s outfits, introduced by the designer during last season, were mixed with the women’s ones, and they have been very successful, as Simone Rocha explained to Vogue: “We have men buying it, we have women buying it, and that’s been really natural.” The collection was thus a tribute to Mother Earth, complete with an orchestra playing Gaelic compositions during the show. The wardrobe ranged from deconstructed gowns with a combination of different fabrics and an array of leather and tailored garments; I particularly liked this solid-colored lurex suit with embroidery on the chest, a look that I find gothic and romantic at the same time.
2) BURBERRY: Daniel Lee’s runway show for Burberry was one of the most anticipated events of London Fashion Week because it marked his debut as the House’s creative director. I think it went brilliantly because the designer, fresh from his great success at Bottega Veneta, took time to study Burberry’s archives and included a return to the brand’s origins in the FW 2023 collection (think of the reappearance of the equestrian knight that was the Burberry Prorsum logo). I first wore a Burberry trench coat when I was 15 years old, back in the days when Christopher Bailey was still at the helm of the House, so the show also had a sense of going back to basics for me and it felt nostalgic in the best possible way. In presenting a series of menswear and womenswear looks, Daniel Lee combined his own British personality with the key elements that have always distinguished the brand, such as the iconic trench coat, tartan in its different shades of color and faux fur maxi collars. The typical Burberry check was interpreted in various colors, from yellow to purple. Unforgettable and very original were also the hot water boules used as clutch bags. I really loved every single look presented by Daniel Lee on the runway but since blue is my favorite color I could only choose this outfit that cleverly mixed white and blue and brought back the equestrian knight.
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