THE IRISH TAKE OVER IN STYLE

Homespun designers were among those feted at London Fashion Week

STORM Dennis didn’t rain on the fashion set’s parade as thousands battled the elements to attend more than 100 shows across London Fashion Week.

Taking much-needed shelter from the inclement weather, show goers previewed autumn winter 2020 collections from fashion darling Richard Quinn, as well as big style hitters 16Arlington, Preen and Victoria Beckham.

Also on the billing for the week of shows were a wide range of homespun designers. Richard Malone dominated the Irish contribution, producing a refined, elegant and thought-provoking show that kicked off events last Friday. Taking to the British Fashion Council show space, Wexford-born Malone reimagined, reworked and redirected the codes that define femininity, using harnesses, belts and strapping to refigure tailoring.

Fit-and-flare suits took wide strides down the catwalk, joining micro-kilts slung over trousers. Enlisting women to craft and collaborate, he got Rosh Mahtani of Aligheriri to create jewellery reworked from her archive, while the knitwear was handcrafted by artisanal knitter Nessa Ryan.

Sustainability was at the core of the collection, something that is a signature of Malone’s designs, with the material used to craft the evening wear and leather creations sourced from upcycled past seasons’ off-cuts. While the palette — which ran the gamut of neutral earthy tones of ochre, plum, khaki and crimson — was created using natural, plant-based and organic dyes.

Malone also closed out London Fashion Week, scooping the coveted International Woolmark Prize that’s seen illustrious previous winners including Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent. The competition consisted of ten finalists, including Malone, showcasing collections to judges that included advocate Sinéad Burke, British Vogue editor Edward Enninful, and creative director of Dior Homme

Kim Jones. Malone was awarded the €240,000 prize money for his capsule collection using Merino wool, that was inspired by his upbringing in Wexford.

Katie Ann McGuigan was also inspired by Ireland, using as her inspiration Irish-born photographer Tom Woods and his portraits of family life in the 1970s and 1980s. Models lounged around a living room set, with couches and chairs upholstered in McGuigan’s statement prints, constructed by her family, who are furniture designers.

In a heavily layered show, printed silk dresses in graphic prints formed the collection, with standouts including trench coats with delicate puff sleeves, and knitted co-ords. Like Malone, McGuigan made a commitment to sustainability with puffer jackets made and filled with recycled plastic bottles.

For Simone Rocha’s spring show, she explored Irish heritage, Celtic folklore and wren boys, but for autumn/winter she went under water, mixing sea-faring items with religious iconography and baptisminspired clothing. ‘Birth, life, loss. Coming in from the sea... pray for me,’ read the show notes, as

Rocha incorporated sailor stitching, pearl-crafted net handbags, lace christening robes and sacred heart motifs.

Set to a post-punk soundtrack, models layered in Aran knit wool shawls, delicate sheer dresses and silk puffball-shaped ensembles stomped down the catwalk in luxurious Lancaster House, in pearl-encrusted flats, topped off with long chandelier earrings. Her parents John and Odette Rocha, Alexa Chung and Vogue editor-inchief Anna Wintour were among the elite front row.

Also choosing an opulent backdrop to preview their collection was Rixo, made up of design duo Orlagh McCloskey and Henrietta Rix. Set in the surroundings of the Kimpton, Fitzroy Hotel ballroom, a diverse cast of models took to raised pink platforms for a presentation of statement designs.

These were the result of a collaboration with French couturier Christian Lacroix, in which Rixo selected prints from the House of Lacroix’s archive, emblazoning them on their signature silhouettes. Their much-adorned midi

dresses, with puff, long or strappy sleeves are all represented in a gorgeous array of patterns. Elevating the presentation to high-fashion levels, some of the iconic Lacroix prints and couture pieces that galvanised Rixo were aptly placed in the centre of the ballroom. The limited edition collection was unusually available to shop straight away. The last Irish players on the catwalk for the penultimate day were JW Anderson and Paul Costelloe. Both attracted a starry front row, with Billy Porter, Alexa Chung and Charli XCX filling the front row for Anderson, while Vogue Williams, Fran Newman Young and Thalia Storm turned up to support Costelloe.

Anderson gave a masterclass in playing with proportion, sending down huge tent-style coats complete with oversized leather collars or mutton-leg sleeves, balloonshaped dresses and pussy-bow blouses with billowing ties. Putting his own spin on the classics and making them highly covetable, Anderson showed trench coats spun to resemble capes and peacoats with XL sleeves.

Eye-catching embellishment dominated, with sparkling gold metallics and iridescent fabrics in the form of evening dresses creating wow moments. Tinsel-topped capes, knits and dresses gave a statement factor to the simplest of silhouettes.

At his show in the Waldorf, Costelloe worked in metallics showing silks in bronze lace jacquards as well as silver brocade daisy dresses topped off with statement billowing sleeves. To a soundtrack of 1980s pop tunes including Gloria Estefan and Billy Joel, a throwback sensibility with a contemporary touch permeated the show, which consisted of puff-sleeved dresses, leotards in graphic prints layered underneath tweed cocoon coats and printed leggings under practically everything.

Costelloe’s whole family, as always, were on hand to support, with his daughter Jessica front of house and son William, responsible for the prints that were etched on the many looks, brightening up the wet and windswept crowds.