London Fashion Week: Spring/Summer 2011 Trend Report

Forget about the darkening of the nights, forget about the cooling of the breeze, and forget about Autumn’s imminent arrival, if only for a little while… In September, all eyes were on London for Fashion Week, where more than 80 design houses showcased their Spring/Summer 2011 design offerings to press, buyers and fashion fans from around the world. So ignore the shops full of Autumn/Winter 2010 collections bursting with cosy layers and heavy knits for the moment (block out the inner turmoil about whether or not the heating should be turned on) and join us in a daydream about next Spring...

Feature by Emma Segal | 27 Sep 2010

The excitement surrounding the Spring/Summer 2011 shows was palpable and the season's work turned out to be far more ambitious and adventurous than those that had come before; perhaps the promised emergence of the UK from recession has sparked a renewed vigour in the industry? The result was that, far from predictable pastels and florals, this season’s collections have embraced the need for a change, producing some very exciting work indeed.

Several key trends stood out amongst the S/S11 shows. The first of these was a clever new take on colour blocking, where the main base colour of choice was tan and nude or for others (such as Nicole Farhi) midnight blues and sea greens. These base colours were then accented with neon hues, which, when done successfully, produced striking effects. Many designers seemed to be using lime, a staple colour carried forward from last spring-summer, in addition to the colour of the season, canary yellow. Christopher Kane took the neon trend even further, using laser-cut leather to jazz up his neon outfits. Others such as Maria Grachvogel and Emilio de la Morena showed infinitely more wearable ways of following the trend, Grachvogel with a canary yellow silk top tucked into nude, high waisted trousers and de la Morena by using triangular patchwork like colour flashes.

Despite the 80s connotations associated with neon, it was arguably the 70s which proved most inspirational for the coming season. This trend was most evident in the presentation of high waisted shorts, as well as flared, paper bag waisted trousers and full length jumpsuits (which was certainly amplified by some catwalk song choices like 70s hits by Donna Summer and Barry White). The result was that the overall silhouette remained largely streamlined but relaxed, possibly also as a reaction against the excessive volume and sculpturing of 40s inspired A/W10.

Focus turned to the embellishment of the garments where various finishings and trimmings were added in abundance. In addition to the use of metallic yarn and threads, designers were using everything from Perspex to fur, studs to sequins and crystals to cut outs. Many of these were seen in the collection by Sass and Bide. Through these individual design details, pieces with a naturally luxe feel were able to gain a more rock 'n' roll edge.

Pleating and fringing were key techniques in the collections also giving a 70s edge. Topshop Unique (impressively the only high street chain to show at LFW) demonstrated how to do wearable fringing, with the technique mostly being used on accessories or on the hems of wine red dresses. At House of Holland, the 70s-Xanadu feel was felt very strongly (Henry cited Xanadu as his main influence), with dresses made up almost entirely of long neon blue fringing, alongside glittering stars, and metallic palm patterns through the fabric. A particular note of interest at this show were the accessories; oversized round fur earrings, cuffs and belts, which were part Elmo of Sesame Street, part Hoxton chic. Here, billowing pleats flowed from the shoulders, elsewhere the pleating technique was implemented in midi-length skirts.

The second major key trend was the chain-mail technique. It was literally everywhere and very much determined the tone of spring-summer 2011’s knitwear. Craig Lawrence’s mermaid inspired collection consisted of intricately knitted chain-mail dresses with (more) metallic yarns which were juxtaposed with
murky sea greens and blues. Overall knitwear had a thin, feather-light feel, perfect for layering and exposing the layers underneath for a subtly sexy look. This ‘peek-a-boo’ approach was also carried through in Richard Nicoll’s show, and offered a welcome break from the overt sexiness of skin tight, body-con looks which have been so prevalent in recent seasons. Jewellery shown at the NEWGEN exhibition also reflected this trend with work from designers such as Fannie Schiavoni.

Interestingly, multi-fabrication and ‘pieced together’ clothing seemed to become a micro-trend gaining momentum fast, with more established designers taking their cues from fashion’s newest superstar, Michael Van Der Ham. Many, including Louise Gray, seemed to be influenced by his signature technique, allowing them to weave several influences together into one garment. This multi-influence approach is one which industry trend predictors argue we will see more of in the next few seasons. Gray’s collection was particularly inspirational and thought provoking. Whilst some might argue that this technique results in schizophrenic clothing lacking in focus, for Gray it instead resulted in polished and exciting pieces. Michael Van Der Ham’s show itself highlighted that he is not running out of ideas either, quashing fears that his collections were becoming repetitive. In fact, his choice of colours (midnight blues clashing with lilacs and canary yellows) showed that Michael has grown as a designer; the collection overall seemed very sophisticated and easily wearable.

Another trend which seemed very prominent was the use of laser print techniques. Mary Katrantzou created an impeccable collection in her signature futuristic prints of stunning snapshots of room interiors, but this was not the only place to witness the technique done well. Hot duos Falguni and Peacock and Basso and Brooke both utilised the technique to great effect. The prints looked almost sculptural and architectural and used handwritten notes by Da Vinci, Tolstoy and Balzac, which worked well against the relatively softly sleek silhouettes. The staying power of this trend is particularly exciting news for those who normally find summer too safe. Most designers took note of the fact that florals have been done to death, and those that did use florals used them in the context of the other trends. Whilst laser print techniques may be difficult to replicate successfully on the high street, the designers seemed to offer plenty interpretations of the technique to choose from. These ranged from the more avant garde at Mary Katrantzou with room interior snapshots, to an adorable white shift-dress accented subtly with stripes of print at Basso and Brooke.

Overall, it seems that summer 2011 is going to take an exciting step into the future, with some references to the past present in the 70s influences. The increasing presence of both multi-fabrication and laser print techniques is symbolic of an interesting change in the industry, with the more established houses and designers taking cues from up-and-coming, new designers. The overall silhouettes suggest a return to a simple, sleek and luxe look which will appeal to most, whilst the embellishing and use of interesting accessories will also allow the rock 'n' roll inclined to keep expressing themselves (one would only need to look at Maria Francesca Pepe’s show to find evidence of that). Finally, the return to a more muted, subtle sexiness as opposed to the overt sexiness of previous seasons is one which should be welcomed (if only because it means we might be able to indulge in some more barbeque food!). This truly felt like a season everyone could enjoy, get excited about and, ultimately, wear.