Glamorous characters: Top trends from LFW Fall Winter 2024
Fur, tulle, leather and lace became the hallmarks of London Fashion Week Fall Winter 24, with the push and pull of the ultra-feminine and inherently masculine. Celebrating its 40th anniversary and known for its experimental spirit, London Fashion Week did not let up - especially where diverse model casting is concerned. And, not to be forgotten, the week’s patron saint Alexander McQueen started tongues wagging with the campaign release of the brand’s first collection by Seán McGirr, to be debuted during Paris Fashion Week.
Around every runway corner came the tufts of a fur collar, a burst of marabou feathers, and a comically enlarged silhouette. These playful features influenced a highly conceptual, character-costumed week of luxury fashion; from JW Anderson’s super-normal Britain, Simone Rocha’s royal wake, Conner Ives’ swans, and Dilara’s Findikoglu femme universe. Daniel Lee closed the presentations with a convincing third collection for Burberry dominated by olive green, outdoor-bound jackets, louche silks, and variations of the house check. An all-Amy Winehouse soundtrack and Agnes Deyn opening offered a stirring touch of 2000s British nostalgia.
Meanwhile, petticoat ruffles, statement bows, and laced-up corset styling were back once more from the usual suspects (Molly Goddard, Bora Aksu, Yuhan Wang and Simone Rocha) - perhaps this time with a heartier nod to the western-led trends we’ve seen of late. Molly Goddard brought taffeta and tulle together with faux Western shirts and ballet-cowboy-hybrid boots while Dilara Findikoglu usurped traditional office wear and skirt suits with transparent details and laced-up latex and boning. Richard Quinn doubled down on more traditional Victorian-isms with full skirts, tiny waists with big bows, major ruffles, and harlequin collars (which appear to be having a moment).
Like New York, there was plenty of leather; David Koma’s dancers donned biker jackets and mini skirts, Burberry showed maxi leather skirts and long leather trenches, while 16 Arlington’s leather ranged from disco trousers to pleated midi skirts. And also like New York, fur coats and collars in all sorts of shearling, cashmere and faux are steadily carving their place as outerwear must-haves for the season ahead.
Let’s dive into the four trends spotted doing the rounds at London Fashion Week FW24.
Faux Real
It appears the fur coat is gaining momentum this season, with heavy hitters Burberry, Erdem, and Simone Rocha making the case for the fuzzy, the furry, and the teddy. Roksanda cinched wild-looking oversized fur vests with belts, Erdem switched up fur for glamorous marabou feathers, while David Koma went for the cropped teddy and adorned plumes of feathers and shearling across skirts, dresses, and pants.
Sheer Brilliance
For transparent, sheer and see-through garments, it’s the styling that’s keeping this trend alive for another season. It’s hard to ignore Simon Rocha’s current impact on fashion, so it looks like tulle and taffeta are sticking around, best with more conservative pieces like polo knits, tailored vests, and blazers. 16 Arlington favored the sheer skirt with cozy knitwear, as well as presenting dropped-waist dresses with transparent tops, a sentiment echoed at David Koma, Emilia Wickstead and KNWLS.
Over and Out
It was go big or stay home for London’s outerwear offering; and for all the British weather and sheer underthings, it’s probably more practical than it appears. The accompanying ‘80s-sized shoulders have been a theme of late from Saint Laurent to Khaite, so it's no surprise to see the trend filtering through from the padded to the puffed and pointed. Humor led the oversized coats at JW Anderson, featuring the lining as an enlarged cuff, Eudon Choi went with an exaggerated trench flap and Erdem’s leading opera coat was a lesson in styling the calling-card coat.
Monochromatics
Some of the most impressive looks to come from Menswear FW24 and NYFW was artful monochrome dressing; a recipe for timeless chic. The trend continued through London with — for all it’s prints and ruffles — a large number of shows filtering looks by colour and tone. Burberry found olive green, khaki, beige and brown, David Koma and 16 Arlington presented one-color looks that ranged from all-black leather to white and vivid red, and Chet Lo worked his signature popcorn-spikes into black, red, grey and green ensembles.
