London Fashion Week Round Up - Erdem, Mary Katrantzou

Erdem SS15

Erdem - It's a jungle out there! Out there meaning high fashion of course and in the mind of Erdem. This time, the designer turned to Victorian biologist and botanical artist Marianne North for inspiration and the collection was mind blowing to say the least. Where on the one hand there were fronds (creeping up the body kinds) embroidered on dresses, on the other, there were turquoise and bottle green florals that decorated Victorian style floor length gowns. Meanwhile, Erdem's obsession with feathers was reiterated though a magnificent, dark green coat bursting with plumage (also seen a few days later on Jane Keltner de Valle) and a series of dresses covered in feathers. . A high necked blouse featuring the most intricate hand work of feathers, embroidery and small chiffon patches carved into floral shapes made me feel like this was work commissioned to the atelier of Maison Lemarie. Anna Dello Russo wore the top with the matching skirt for the Dior show in Paris.

There was drama in this collection, but none of it was excess. Perhaps the matronly like, yet sexy broderie anglaise ensembles or the simple tweed dress balanced the rest of the collection. Whatever the case, Erdem was the king of this jungle.

Erdem SS15

Mary Katrantzou - Ancient history... Prehistoric times... Nope. How about Pangea, a supercontinent from the late Paleozoic era! An extremely interesting and unique inspiration for Mary Katrantzou's latest collection. The queen of digital prints has been experimenting with more complex garment construction, playing with various textures and some intricate embroidery and it has paid off big time. This was another spectacular delivery from the London runways.

Medusa's hair like serpents, and shiny cut outs representing the earth's tectonic plates were amongst the key details seen on the clothes. A series of dresses caught my eye especially the ones with delicate snakes intertwined in one another on the bust and a honeycomb like cage below along with the shirt dresses covered in flora and fauna embroidery. A beaded black dress featuring some sort of strange creature embroidered on it was one of the coolest outfits in the show. Embellished sculptural blouses with linear cut outs worn over loose fitted trousers felt fresh and glamorous just like the semi-sheer gowns that closed the show.



Mary Katrantzou SS15

Mary Katrantzou SS15