London Fashion Week RTW FW12

From the four fashion capitals of the world, London Fashion Week has got to be the most under-hyped yet somehow the most interesting of them all. The designers have crazier collections with over-the-top runway productions. For Ready to Wear FW 2012, there were a couple of designers that gave me chilly goosebumps. 

Christopher Shannon's early night clubbing and rave years greatly influenced his latest collection. He has a wide array of pieces from bomber jackets, ski jackets, sweatshirts, and button-downs that are perfect for the working class's office wear in the morning and club wear at night.

Ever since I discovered J.W. Anderson, I've been following all his shows. I love his anti-sartorial take on menswear fashion and how he plays with it. In this collection, for example, he has layers of quilted jackets and hats that I find very charming. Although, unsurprisingly, his humor on menswear isn't really for everyone.

Fashion East is composed of trio of an accomplished tailor Maarten Van Der Horst, the grungy Marques'Almeida, and knitwear specialist James Long. Don't be so confused if you notice Fashion East's runway shows have three different directions because each of their designers have their own style. 

I particularly liked Marques'Almeida's segment. The collection was filled with oversized black and yellow denims, decayed knits, and skate shorts that are all distressed to it's core. I can see myself wearing one of the pieces while strolling down the street with a classic Pearl Jam song playing in my ears.

Christopher Kane's recent work is darker compared to his previous collections. Inspired by the 80's voyeurs who enjoy hanging out in sex clubs, he re-introduced his trademark floral prints but in a more gothic, hellish manner to portray blood, lust, and sin.

Inspired by the pop art of the colorful 80's like Ferdinand Leger and David Hockney, Louis Gray's latest collection won't be left unnoticed. His DIY print-on-print-on-print layers and broom wigs are out of this world!

Mary Katrantzou won the Emerging Talent Awards at the British Fashion Awards last year and was hailed the "Queen of Digital Prints". No wonder. Bathtubs, bubbles, spoons, typewriters, grasses, and a whole lot more, it's very noticeable how she is inspired by the "beauty of the everyday". 

The whole show is mad! Ed Meadham and Ben Kirchoff received love/hate reviews from the fashion bigwigs because of the over-the-top styling. But if you'll segregate the whole outfit, you'll find interesting pieces like the checkered jacket, the rainbow fur, denims, a glittery rainbow suit, acid dresses, and monster paws? The inspiration for the collection is quite hard to explain, but as I've read it, the girls are dressed up for an imaginary cosmic party in the future that they want to attend. They sure know how to have fun!

I am very impressed with Peter Pilotto FW 12. Even though they also used digital prints, they know how to dress a woman very well. The dresses, with it's unique criss-cross cuts, fit the models like a glove. 

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