LFW SS17 - Day IV

Day four of LFW SS17 kicked off with a rather luxurious start. My first presentation of the day was for Aspinal of London and was being housed in Claridge's. The setting was incredible, the attention to detail impeccable and the bags were beautiful. And they absolutely spoiled the attendees. Cakes floated around the room, Champagne was flowing and we were each gifted a beautiful leather-bound notebook as we left. The highlight of the collection, for me, has to be the pastel section. Bags, clutches and accessories in mint, baby blue and pale pink shades were set against a Barbie Dreamhouse backdrop and were every inch the kind of elegance that the brand is known for, just given a particularly pretty and summery vibe for the season that was in it.

After the presentation I had to dash off to meet friends for lunch at Ten Ten Tei, a little Japanese place with charmingly grumpy staff and delicious food - I'd highly recommend it. Once lunch and coffees had been had, I brought Matthew with me to the Fyodor Golan presentation. Last season, I wasn't really feeling the overwhelmingly neon collection and, while there was neon present this season, I found the overall direction a lot more cohesive and pleasing. Golan's love for bright hues, metallics and clubwear was given a cyber punk makeover that reminded a little of a noughties sci-fi drama in the best possible way. Think goggles, a-symmetry, distressed denim, holographic fabrics and elaborate hairstyles.

Three days in a pair of beloved ankle boots that barely had an insole left meant that, after Fyodor Golan, I dragged Matthew to the Primark on Oxford Street (i.e. Hell on Earth) to find something I could bear hobbling around in.

Then we said our goodbyes and I hobbled right on to the Ashish show, delighted for myself and trying to ignore the burning pain. I missed the show last season because of my flight which devastated me because of my absolute grá for the brand. Thankfully, this season more than made up for it. Ashish Gupta, in the face of Brexit and the rumblings of intolerance that followed it, brought India to the catwalk and embraced the diversity that makes the capital great. The Delhi-born designer personally sported a sweatshirt that simply stated "Immigrant" and boldly showed just how vital being multicultural is to fashion. "Old Bollywood" was the inspiration and a sitar player filled the packed room with music as a canopy of fairy lights glittered overhead and an incredibly (and importantly) diverse procession of models in elaborate gilded headpieces, embroidered and vibrant garments, painted faces resembling gods and goddesses and accessorised with live flowers and even a live snake, floated by. By far, it was one of the most exhilarating and beautiful collections of the season with a depth to it that is often absent and shows exactly why fashion is about so much more than clothes draped over flesh.

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Fyodor Golan AW16

The duo at Fyodor Golan have made a name for themselves as experimental designers and, with them, we've learned to expect the unexpected. The AW16 collection was no exception. However, the amount of variation and influences this time around was staggering. They showed 37 looks and labelled their inspiration as “Birth of Venus/Pin up/ Nicole Wermers/ Textures/Oliver Michaels/Industrialisation/Alexander Liberam/ Rhythm”...quite the mouthful...

Present once more were the highlighter shades that the have such a penchant for, prints of vintage Coke ads, metallics, giant eyelets, beading, embroidery, ruffles, 80s and 60s elements...

The spirit of experimentation, not limiting themselves, is admirable and there were many looks that really stood out and worked. However, the collection seemed to lack a little coherence or solid vision in the end.

What do you guys make of it? One thing's for certain, people await Fyodor Golan, if the eager crowd and speculation of strangers who met in the queue all around me was anything to go by. In fact, I wasn't at any other show where so many people struck up conversations with people that they hadn't come with. And, that, I suppose, says something about the label.

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Fyodor Golan AW15 - Brony style.

Lots and lots of colour, sheers with light streaming though them and images of My Little Pony - this is what had me wandering towards Fyodor Golan's AW15 collection in Somerset House.

Entitled Rainbow Wheel and marking an actual collaboration with My Little Pony, it's fun and beautiful and quite unlike the collections that surrounded it in the room. I'm still uncertain as to how exactly I feel about it. It's definitely not something I would wear personally but, then, there is much that I like but would never wear. It's a little bit eighties, a touch sixties, a wee bit futuristic and a lot like Miu Miu on acid - but in the best possible way, I think. For all the craziness, there are some damn wearable pieces and silhouettes that are feats of engineering and would look good on almost all body types. In fact, there's some very cute Debs or prom dresses in the mix.

After literal hours of staring, I think it's the exuberance. It's something that draws you in. It's why I keep staring. And will all creative ventures, I read being drawn back for further analysis despite uncertainty about your feelings on said venture as a very good sign. Good art provokes discussion and debate - especially within yourself. Perhaps it's all too gimmicky but, for now, I'm intrigued.

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