London Fashion Week SS20 trend report

Puffed sleeves

Pretty puffed sleeves were a huge trend in London, with designers playing around with volume and shape. At Rejina Pyo, delicate puffball shapes gave dresses a sculptural quality while keeping the pieces wholly feminine. Simone Rocha presented one of the dreamiest collections of the entire season, with her signature puffed sleeves and ruffles adding to the beauty of the collection, while Richard Quinn dialled up the volume and glamour with super-sized puffed-sleeve mini balloon dresses.

Crystals

Designers added a touch of sparkle to their SS20 collections with liberal doses of crystals and embellishment. At Burberry, decadent touches appeared on its iconic trench coats as well as the brand’s streetwear offerings, from baseball caps with crystal fringing to sparkling blazers. At Jonathan Anderson, crystal-studded harnesses permeated the collection as did crystal-studded hareem trousers and glittering chunky crystal belts. One can always expect disco-style glamour at Halpern and this season the brand did not disappoint, offering a collection dominated by crystal-encrusted pieces, from sleek trouser suits to draped evening gowns.

Pattern play

From floral collage work to patchwork prints and animal aesthetics, next season is all about playing with pattern. Maximalism is well and truly in for next season, and designers had fun with a range of prints and scales. Preen and Erdem both demonstrated how to use clashing colours and floral prints to electric effect, while Burberry looked to graphic black-and-white prints for several of its outfits. Another brand to experiment with clashing prints was Christopher Kane, which used saturated coloured prints to psychedelic effect.

New florals

Florals for spring may not be groundbreaking but the way they were explored for SS20 was a slight departure from traditional floral prints. Playing around with one of the most popular spring trends, designers had fun with florals, working them into mixed patterns for a larger feeling of fantasy. Grandiose florals were combined with other patterns, prints and embellishments for ramped-up glamour. This was seen most prevalently at Richard Quinn, where the designer’s penchant for florals was dialled up in huge floral dresses paired with super-sized bows, feathers and crystals.

1970s

Henry Holland, Rixo and Victoria Beckham were just a few of the many designers who cited the sartorial decade of the 1970s as inspiration for their SS20 collections. Disco fever was in the air at Henry Holland, with dark denim and textured snakeskin the key elements. At the Rixo presentation, the brand’s famous 70s-inspired tea dresses were re-imagined in a slew of new psychedelic prints and clashing fabrics, perfect for the SS20 wedding season. At Victoria Beckham, a more grown-up take on the era was explored, with structured masculine suits in butterscotch and other tonal leather layers.

Volume dresses

Bigger was better when it came to dresses for spring/summer 2020 in London. Volume played a huge part in the collections, with dramatic puffed sleeves, ruffles and excess fabric leading the way. These voluminous tent dresses were seen everywhere, such as Erdem, where the brand’s signature Victoriana style suited the enhanced silhouette perfectly. Preen also experimented with architectural ruffles, with its three-dimensional construction pointing towards street style, with a collection inspired by Japan.

Lemon yellow

After Molly Goddard’s famous fuchsia tulle dress last season, all eyes were on her to set the colour of SS20. A giant butter-yellow tulle dress was the centrepiece of a largely more refined collection that favoured a grown-up, playful look over acid colours.

Emilia Wickstead also used soft yellows, with its pastel palette of sorbet shades, as did Preen, where a sheer lemon-yellow dress with delicate sleeves was a standout of the collection. At Victoria Beckham, the sepia-coloured 70s palette was punctuated with yellow silk blouses and sunny, ruffled dresses.

Victoriana

Sartorial elements from the Victorian era made their way into the SS20 collections in London. Burberry in particular was inspired by Victoriana, reprising some of the period’s most recognisable elements in its collection. Panelled dresses with lace overlays, corseted waists and puffed sleeves were used alongside cool streetwear for an entirely modern collection. At Emilia Wickstead, full skirts, lace-trimmed collars and micro florals also were a nod to Victoriana, while Simone Rocha used flounces and frills for a dialogue about the voyeurism of observing female sexuality.

Movie magic

Films played a big role in the design process for the SS20 collections in London. Victoria Beckham delved into the film archives of the 1970s to reveal a cinematic collection that combined masculine suits with big, flowing dresses in autumnal hues. At Emilia Wickstead, the designer cited the March sisters from Louisa May Alcott’s book Little Women as inspiration. The book has been made into a major film, set to be one of the biggest releases of the year, and the designer’s collection imagined pieces that could be worn by the sisters in 2019. Halpern’s collection was inspired by Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl and played with voluminous gowns and party-perfect prints.

Relaxed silhouettes

Silhouettes were loose for SS20, with designers making a case for relaxed yet sensual forms. Victoria Beckham shunned short hems in favour of super-feminine dresses mixed with masculine tailoring. At Margaret Howell, effortless, comfortable clothing was key, with slouchy cardigans, high-waisted trousers and oversized dresses.