Everything That Happened at London Fashion Week, Day One
Cats, bats, and Louis Vuitton's next ingenue.
Meghan Markle has bounced, but London is still full of young dynamos with zero inhibitions (and budgets nearly as low). On Day One of London Fashion Week, this new guard vied for the title of Next Big Thing. Some made magic, others made messes, and one made a dress with a giant bat, because Instagram. Click through to see the shows that caught our attention.
Yuhan Wang
She's a finalist for the prestigious LVMH prize and stans ruffles and embroidery. This season, Wang was honored with London Fashion Week's opening slot...
Yuhan Wang
...where she showed a ruffled riff on Victorian funeral dressing and played with traditional Chinese iconography like rosebuds and goldfish. In the flopped-out proportions were a self-protective sense of yearning that recalled both Emily Dickinson and Billie Eilish. Also... wait for it...
Yuhan Wang
Ruby slippers!!!
Shrimps
The label most famous for their joyful, candy-colored faux fur has added more ready-to-wear options, like this flouncy dress with a very close pattern to Burberry's signature check.
Shrimps
More interesting were the Shrimps front row 'fits, including the acid-toned floral on model Olympia Campbell and the shaggy-silk mash-up worn by Elfie Reigate (aka, the first girl Kate Moss ever signed to her agency).
Shrimps
Another smart choice: the plaid trench on actress Gabriella Wilde.
Ashley Williams
At the Ashley Williams show, things got gloriously weird. Forget the mega-makeup—this cat dress will win Instagram and probably the Teen Choice Awards.
Ashley Williams
See also Batwoman #1
Ashley Williams
...and Batwoman #2, aka teen rocker Sabrina Fuentes of The Pretty Sick.
Ashley Williams 2020 / Luella Bartley 2009
PS: We love a tribute dress! And yeah, we miss Luella Bartley at London Fashion Week, too 🌹
Kiko Kostadinov / The Nightmare Before Christmas
Speaking of tributes, this Tim Burton callout by Laura and Deanna Fanning at Kiko Kostadinov was delightful.
Kiko Kostadinov
The label's ensembles can be dizzying, but a grown-up track pant—especially one that manages to include cool pink and warm brown tones—is quite an achievement.
Charlotte Knowles
On to Charlotte Knowles, whose sophomore LFW collection included winners like this sculpted elliptical corsetry, layered over silkscreen tees.
Charlotte Knowles
Plus outerwear and a few whooshing dresses we'd be scared to wear in the wind.
16Arlington
Lena Dunham made her runway debut at 16Arlington. It was also the first show for the label's designers Marco Capaldo and Kikka Cavenati who'd met Dunham when dressing her for the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood premiere.
Matty Bovan
Closing the day was Matty Bovan, a court jester of couture, who continued his eye-popping parade of wonders with a new collection built partly with selvaged Fiorucci denim.
Matty Bovan
Along with neon velvet drapes.
Matty Bovan
And actual drapes parted by a bustle. This one is made from Liberty London fabric, and paired with the same silver sandals worn by grandmas in Florida.
Matty Bovan
M.A.C's neon shadows are also an LFW triumph, as Bright Eyes (the band) confirms its first tour since 2009, and bright eyes (the trend) is easier to wear on the subway than a couture hoop dress, though look, we've done that, too.
Faran Krentcil is a fashion journalist and critic based in New York City. She is the founding editor of Fashionista and a graduate of Duke University. Her work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and more.
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