LFW Diary: The last of the scoop from London including standout shows from Mary Katrantzou and Middleton fave Roksanda Ilincic

Quick post today, since a gazillion traffic accidents prevented me from actually getting to half my shows on time—or at all. Regardless, catching Mary Katrantzou’s stunner of a show (which, for the second season in a row, kicked off the last day of London Fashion Week) made it all worth it. Deceived by the first few looks, which were dominated by silvers and shadows, I imagined that this would be a toned down collection (at least in palette). Boy, was I wrong. Stiff pleats and equally stiff peplums were bolstered by every shade of blue, green, and pink you could imagine; if anyone can invent a new colour or colour combo, it’s Mary. Also new were her prints: spoons, pencils, curtain tassels, typewriters, and other household items were blown up and their digitized versions lent the collection a quirky air. The standout pieces for me, however, were the dresses fashioned from layers and layers (I counted four on one dress) of printed mesh—each had a half inch–thick banded hem that curled the edges of each layer, lending enormous volume to the pieces. Nicholas Mellamphy of the Room at the Bay called this series of dresses “mille-feuille,” and that is exactly how they appeared.

Post-Mary, I headed backstage before the Roksanda Ilincic show, where the mood was surprisingly calm and collected. A 3/4-length fur coat and an oxblood-coloured dress with black astrakhan-covered front evoked vintage glamour, while a pair of silk black-and-cream patterned pants oozed casual luxury. Pops of colour came courtesy of the towering yellow Nicholas Kirkwood pumps with ankle straps, a wide cerulean hem on a deep maroon sheath, and—my favourite—an oversized, blue-and-black-checked wool backpack with gold-tipped, black rope drawcord. Balancing all the glamour was a dramatic smoky eye and neutral lip courtesy of makeup artist Lucia Pica, and a slightly messy undone bun by Charles Worthington. It was a look you’d expect from a glamorous woman who’s just had the best evening of her life—which is, funny enough, exactly how I felt after all the standout collections in London this season.

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