The Best Looks of London Fashion Week Spring 2017

It’s hard to believe that Toga, which celebrates its 20th anniversary next year, is not better known. Founded by the self-taught Japanese designer Yasuko Furuta, it is one of more creative labels around, always turning out artisanal and experimental clothes that still manage to look chic. For spring that entailed lots of high-shine, mixed with masculine fabric and tailoring. – Karin Nelson

London fashion isn’t known for it’s subtlety—which is why Barbara Casasola’s collections always feel like welcome palette cleansers. There is a simplicity to all that she does. Even her relatively “complicated” pleated dresses have a poetic ease to them. – Karin Nelson

Mulberry’s Johnny Coca made an interesting decision to enlist Lotta Volkova, the It stylist behind Vetements and Balenciaga, for his sophomore outing. Because while she infused the collection with her specific brand of cool—slouchy silhouettes, pajama stripes, sculptural ruffles, and lots of silver—her work tended to overshadow Mulberry’s singular sense of British heritage. Regardless, this is an accessories brand at its core—and the oversized Picadilly bags will be a hit, for sure. – Karin Nelson

The London-based, French designer has made a name for herself by rethinking the notion of denim. This season that entailed a pair of jeans crafted from 60,000 Swarovski crystals. Are they wearable? Probably not. But they certainly were bedazzling. – Karin Nelson

Designer Serafina Sama described the collection as “Grace Jones in Keith Haring body paint,” which loosely translated to high-waisted trousers, ballet tops, and full skirts in vibrant colors and arty squiggles. Presented in an attic space, in which each model performed her own vignette, it was utterly charming. – Karin Nelson

Embroidered flowers and ruffled layers of tulle are usually the hallmark components of girly girl dresses. Simone Rocha however turns this preconception on its head, twisting these feminine techniques and making them desirably sinister. The fact that she showed in a gothic cathedral only added to message of finding beauty in the subversive.

Lace, sequins, geodes and even bejeweled Crocs made it into Christopher Kane’s Spring collection. In this case, all thrown together into one quirky look. Like all of his collections, there were so many components to digest but there was something there for everyone.

With a lot of shapes and details borrowed from previous seasons, the real newness came in the form of a Henry VIII inspired knit with an extreme rolled collar and matching cuffs. Although heavy historical references in fashion can sometimes feel costume-y, every piece feels wearable and completely accessible which rings true to the brand’s DNA.

Long and lean was the new silhouette but instead of hearkening back to the Victorian era as in past collections, Erdem found inspiration in the shapes and styles of the 1930s. Floral prints are always a key component however this time, they appeared muted with the fabric neatly tied together with long stripes of grosgrain ribbon.

With much fanfare, Burberry launched see-now-buy-now. To usher in this new era, artisans of all sorts including sculptors and textile makers greeted guests with intimate demonstrations of of their individual crafts. Mood boards canvased the walls of the location, the historic Foyle’s Bookshop, and will also be displayed in stores. The collection was an eclectic mix of lace, military and pajama elements but it was the looks that combined all these components that created the biggest impact.