Fashion
from london, with love
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We may be in New York during fall, but that doesn't mean we can't get inspired by the amazing collections being shown at London spring '14 Fashion Week!
From a scientific take on flowers at Christopher Kane to a print fantasia at Mary Katrantzou, London's shows made us want to retire our black clothing in lieu of some bright florals and Nike running sneakers--or "trainers" as the Brits would say. There was also a whopping dose of Alice in Wonderland-style dots at Burberry and some '70s satin jackets at Jonathan Saunders that we're dying to get into our fall wardrobes stat.
Check out our favorite shows and get a little London in your life.
CHRISTOPHER KANE
This show is the most inspired ode to high school Biology ever imagined. References were literal, like prints based on anatomical illustrations of flowers and figurative, like cutouts to represent dissection. The clothes came off dripping with femininity and subtle sexuality through endless references to flowers and their reproductive parts. In a lot of ways the show felt like sitting in a sex ed class full of pretty high school girls through the ages: 50s full skirts, 70's florals, 80's bondage-like straps and graphic prints and 90's iridescent dresses and tinsel trim. -- RACHAEL WANG
Wear: Asos Midi Floral Print Skirt
Listen To: "Another Brick in the Wall" by Pink Floyd
Watch: The Virgin Suicides
Beautify With: Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb
JONATHAN SAUNDERS
'70s Sunset Strip thugs met Venice Beach surfer girls in Jonathan Saunders' spring '14 show. Perfect for girly girls with a rough edge. -- STEFF YOTKA
Wear: 3.1 Phillip Lim Embroidered Bomber Jacket
Listen To: "Under Your Spell" by Desire
Watch: Fight Club
Beautify With: Victoria's Secret Beach Wave Hairspray
BURBERRY
As a big believer in mixing prints, it's nice to see the mix-and-match option classed up a bit at Burberry Prorsum. Yes, somehow even a see-through lattice skirt feels classy in the hands of Christopher Bailey. Think of it as the English Rose gone batty--and yes, that's a good thing. -- REBECCA WILLA DAVIS
Wear:
Equipment Silk Polka Dot Shirt
Listen To:
"Hounds of Love" cover by the Futureheads
Watch:
Beautify With:
HOUSE OF HOLLAND
I really liked this show...and then I found out it was inspired by Baz Luhrmann's
Romeo + Juliet
and it was like, [
sound of heart exploding
]. A little bit Venice--err, I mean Verona--Beach, a little bit '90s, a lot to crush on. And I'm not just talking about Leonardo DiCaprio. -- RWD
Wear:
Listen To:
Watch:
Beautify With:
MULBERRY
This season marks designer Emma Hill's last run with Mulberry, and she went out with a seriously stylish bang. The models looked like they had rolled out of the bed (think artfully messy hair) and thrown on the first outfit they grabbed off the hanger--a vibe that's otherwise known as my M.O. The super cute clothing was obviously the main attraction, but when the show also includes Cara Delevingne, a front row stocked with It girls, and dogs on the runway, well, consider us sold. -- LIZA DARWIN
Wear:
Listen To:
Watch: An Education
Beautify With: Bumble and Bumble Texture Un-Dressing Creme
J.W. ANDERSON
J.W. Anderson's collections defy logic or explanantion, but I can't help but love each one more than the last. This season brought floppy panel tops with sequin skirts, knotted scarf-meets-crop-top combos, and tire tread dresses. My favorites among the bunch, however, were the ethereal gathered dresses that look like an angel's take Derelicte trash bag couture. It's so wrong, it's right. -- SY
Wear: Saint Laurent Silk Georgette Blouse
Listen To: "Genesis" by Grimes
Watch: The Source Family
Beautify With: MAC Strobe Cream
MARY KATRANTZOU
All hail the queen of prints! Leave it to Mary Katrantzou to prove to everyone that one or two patterns aren't enough--the Brit designer combines clashing motifs and unexpected graphics, and somehow makes the whole thing work. This season, she enlarged images of different types of shoes and splashed them all over dresses, jackets, and pants. Even if we didn't need a sneaker-print frock in closet before, we need one now. -- LD
Wear:
Nike Flyknit Lunar Running Shoes
Listen To:
"How To Be A Heartbreaker" by Marina and the Diamonds
Watch: Shopgirl
Beautify With: Laura Mercier Face Illuminator
Christopher Kane spring '14
Full volume, mid-calf length were all over the runways for spring and the bright floral print is reminiscent of Kane's show. I'll fall-ify it by wearing a shrunken crew neck sweatshirt up top. -- RW
Christopher Kane played the Pink Floyd school anthem during the finale walk at the fashion show. There's no better way to get out your frustration with the establishment than singing the words "WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION!!!" -- RW
Sophia Coppola's dreamy portrait of the dark side of high school. -- RW
Sweet and feminine but with dark and complicated undertones. -- RW
Jonathan Saunders spring '14
Ain't nothing wrong with a beige bomber in fall. -- SY
I can't eat, I can't sleep, I do nothing but think about Ryan Gosling's bomber jacket in Drive. -- SY
Go to the dark side of beautiful colors and tropical prints with Brad Pitt in Fight Club. -- SY
Get big, beachy hair no matter the season. And trust me, it works--I use this stuff every day! -- SY
Burberry spring '14
You can be buttoned up and still get a little crazy with it, thanks to these oversized polka dots. -- RWD
I love how off-kilter this Brit-on-Brit cover is. -- RWD
The Burberry looks were like a mash-up between Alice and the Mad Hatter. -- RWD
Everyone knows that an English Rose needs flawless skin. -- RWD
House of Holland spring '14
A little slip dress to break lots of hearts in. -- RWD
You definitely know every single word to this song. It's cool, same here. -- RWD
There is nothing about this movie that isn't perfect. Just saying. -- RWD
No plans to recreate that pool scene anytime soon? Get the wet hair look (just like in the House of Holland show) by running this through your locks. -- RWD
Mulberry spring '14
Embellished with all-over floral print, these are party pants! -- LD
Happy-go-lucky indie pop goes great with muted florals and Mulberry effortless cool. -- LD
British accents, Carey Mulligan, and a closet of sweet dresses we need in our closets right now. -- LD
The one-two step secret to Mulberry's tousled locks? Throw away your hairbrush, then run this lightweight creme through your hair. Done! -- LD
J.W. Anderson spring '14
Get into a modern ruffle with this simple and elegant blouse from Saint Laurent. -- SY
"Fairy ninja" is a term that we would use to describe both Grimes and Anderson's recent collection. -- SY
Long white dresses, cults, folk music... The Source Family has EVERYTHING! -- SY
Get glowy with MAC's essential illuminating cream. -- SY
Mary Katrantzou spring '14
Might as well get into the Mary Katrantzou headset early with a slick new pair of sneakers. -- LD
We can totally picture the Mary K. girl blasting Marina as she stomps down the catwalk--er, sidewalk. Heartbreaker, indeed. -- LD
Clare Danes's character wishes she had the confidence that Mary Katrantzou's ladies have. However, she does wear a lot of prints in the movie, so that's a start...? -- LD
Copy the shimmer on the runway by dabbing Laura Mercier's highlighting face illuminator on cheekbones. -- LD
