London Fashion Week’s Top Shows

London Fashion Week, the second major fashion week previewing designers’ Summer and Spring 2014 collections, just wrapped. Many designers were featured but British models and designers were in full force, naturally. With romance and glam dominating, here are the best collections showcased at LFW last week:

Mulberry

Mulberry head designer Emma Hill has set the Mulberry style since 2007. This year, she’s leaving the fashion house with no less than her usual grace. Emma focused on dresses and floral for a dreamy spring feeling. The collection was amazing, all inspired by the 60’s and very grown up and mature. Monochrome and colors made appearances hand in hand. Chunky heels and embellished bags were the main accessories. Leading the models on the runway was English supermodel Cara Delevingne. The crazy bit: Some models came on stage with dogs on leashes. Fashion diva andVogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour was seated front row and center and even smiled during the show – that’s a rare stamp of approval. If Anna is happy about the collection, then you know it’s a must have.

Vivienne Westwood

As always, Vivienne’s legendary designs were accompanied with edgy artistry. English model Lily Cole opened the runway for Vivienne’s show with a floating contemporary dance under red light with curly red hair, pale face paint and a Grecian pale grey gown. The opening heated up the crowd and set the tone for the rest of the collection. Even though all the models had zombie face paint, the crazy makeup didn’t stop the clothes from shining. The punk aesthetic Vivienne is famous for was present, along with dramatic draping and some bohemian floral patterns. The styling of the runway evoked 90’s grunge with mismatched items, similar to trends seen in this year’s New York Fashion Week. Or perhaps it’s just Dame Vivienne being herself.

Tom Ford

American Designer Tom Ford stood out amongst fellow London designers: Tom’s collection was more glamorous. All the models had their hair tucked in a bun or a pony tail, and their makeup was kept to a minimum. The collection was divided into three totally different sections, opening with edgy leather dresses, biker jackets and masculine styling. The colors were blunt brown, black and white with very short hemlines and very tight tailoring. The second phase of the collection switched to longer sleeves, pantsuits and 70’s-inspired cocktail dresses. Tom’s pantsuits silhouettes were manly but with a feminine touch, with belts that emphasized the models’ waists. The third section of the collection was drop dead diva, with head-to-toe mosaic-inspired crystal-embellished jumpsuits and dresses in daring metallic colors, which gave it a futuristic look.

Burberry

Keyword: metallic. Designer Chris Baily took the classic Burberry trench coat and added an amazing twist: he made it in every metallic color possible. And he didn’t stop at the trenches, even pencil skirts and dresses got the metallic touch. To temper the metallic overdose, outfits were styled with ponchos and tops in darker signature Burberry colors like dark blue. While half of the collection felt like disco glam all over again, the show wasn’t limited to this one style. The other half of the collection was feminine but powerful, with pastels, lace, sheers and embellishments. Cara Delevingne made an appearance on the runway with an embellished plastic, transparent poncho on top of a lace, white and pink outfit.