This season, genderless fashion was once again the main focus of London Fashion Week, with a special emphasis on androgynous styles—a discourse that is neutral enough to be worn by both men and women. Yet the designer’s sharp vision for fusing sophistication and vitality into their otherwise minimalist presentations brought a game-changing shift to the majority of the collections.
This season’s London Fashion Week provided recurrent round-ups of androgynous chic and vivid yet subtle looks in everything from wicked red to antique grey, lace inserts to exaggerated highlights, fluid designs to body-hugging micro slip dresses.
The colour scheme for London Fashion Week was predicted by Pantone, and it had a really unique and delightful twist.
There wasn’t a khaki trench overcoat in view when the British clothing company Burberry showcased its first runway collection after the hiring of new Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lee. But Lee, who entered Burberry in September, gave fashion business a whole new direction with a first collection that featured synthetic fur and feathers, slogan T-shirts and fun duck patterns.
The Romanian designer and Fashion East alumna Ancuta Sarca showed a number of futuristic ensembles for Fall/Winter 2023 that reflect the current AI era and feature repurposed outfits that maintain a sustainable perspective.
“Don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” This is Natasha Zinko’s opening line for Fall/Winter 2023, bringing urgency, impact and purpose to London Fashion Week F/W ’23.
All in all, London Fashion Week 2023 was an amalgamation of extremes that spawned distinct women’s suiting trends while also introducing a hint of minimalism.
The significant androgynous looks that will elevate the power suit trends in 2023 are highlighted in the list below by Apparel Resources (AR).
BODY-INCLUSIVE POWER STYLES
Fashion magazines and runways have long promoted a ‘perfect’ size, colour and shape. The collective consumer consciousness has just recently begun to demand that brands cater to their bodies as they are.
Several brands have started moving in the correct direction in reaction to this change. With designers actively using models of various sizes, high-fashion runways are starting to reflect the transformation.
As a result of emerging brands like Di Petsa, Sinéad O’Dwyer, Karoline Vitto and Natasha Zinko working in this direction, body-inclusive fashion experienced a significant uptick during London Fashion Week. While Vitto encouraged its audience to consider the female viewpoint from all angles, Petsa had pregnant models walking as well as non-pregnant ones with baby bumps. This explored themes of safety and sensuality through distinctive tailoring and dramatic silhouettes.
BATTLE-READY BUT FLIRTATIOUS CO-EDs
Since it is influenced by the military, post-apocalyptic and wartime periods, battle-ready clothing frequently functions well. Styles are moving towards more practical clothing with sensual undertones, as seen in microskirts, vests, corsets and asymmetrical cuts.
The 23rd LFW featured new perspectives on flirty menswear and followed a coed path. FEBEN, a London-based designer, explored the concept of emotional and physical armour in this collection with potent fabric manipulations that toe a fine line. Her F/W ’23 collection, dubbed ‘Scales’ featured traditional female embellishments clashing with robust masculine tones that dove into the deep blue sea.
Other designers like Chet Lo, Dilara Fındıkoğlu, Talia Byre and David Koma, also took a similar approach and stole the spotlight with their co-ed, battlefield styles.
PSYCHEDELIC REFERENCES
Psychedelic fashion is frequently linked to periods of socio-political upheavals, such as the 1960s youth movements and the anti-Vietnam War movement. With bold geometric patterns and inspiration from music culture, modern art and other areas, this season elevates the trend to a new level.
Check prints, references to the 1960s and 1970s, and other hallucinogenic motifs continued to be used throughout London Fashion Week, suggesting that this season will be heavily influenced by psychedelic fashion.
This style was utilised by designers like Roksanda, Jonathan Anderson and Edward Crutchley, who made their presentations interesting to watch. Cructchley continued with his psychedelic style by incorporating the intriguing illustrations from The Drolatic Dreams of Pantagruel (1565) by illustrator Richard Breton.
TROPICAL FLORALS FOR A CHANGE
Although flower patterns are always fashionable, this vivid, tropical floral is ground-breaking for 2023. This vibrant, whimsical design is increasingly filling vacation clothing. Tropical blooms for Fall and Winter definitely pushed designers’ creative boundaries, but the results were worthwhile. In addition to plaids, geometric designs and abstract prints, melancholy and tropical florals were often used during London Fashion Week.
It was quite clear from the designs of Facetasm, Richard Quinn, Christopher Kane, Molly Goddard and Paul Costella that Fall/Winter ’23 would not be complete without a hint of delicate florals. The F/W ’23 collection from Facetasm is made for people who like to stand out from the crowd. And while a small number of styles fit the bill for being subtle, the bulk makes a statement, demonstrating that personalised perfection can be enjoyable and adaptable for any situation. Coloured weeds with colourful blooms were included as prints and embroidery on a box-cut overcoat and a strapless black dress in Christopher Kane’s ensemble.
EFFORTLESS EVERYDAY
Fall and Winter are seasons for relaxed clothing, therefore it should come as no surprise that for the upcoming season, relaxed clothing will continue to take precedence over body-hugging trends. This LFW 2023, large constructions in a variety of colours served as the foundation for numerous designers’ collections. This has demonstrated that casual tailoring will be an important component this season, combined with the rising desire for leisurewear.
Lemaire, Robyn Lynch, Bode and Pronounce, among other designers, prioritised loose-fitting apparel for everydaywear during London Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2023 as opposed to the figure-hugging skirts and leotards that Mark Fast and David Koma were fond of. Pronounce expanded its colour pallet to more earthy, pastel tones and classic designs, in contrast to Lynch’s collection, which was a tribute to Ireland and distinguished by a four-shade green palette.
BREAKING FREE FROM CONSTRAINTS
In order to pull people out of their shells and make them feel safe and comfortable in the garments they wear to express themselves, Fall/Winter fashion in 2023 will be all about releasing restrictions and boosting emancipated silhouettes. The popularity of manipulated silhouettes and unique cutouts, which are currently highly popular among youthful generations, will undoubtedly increase.
Many designers worked on this style of clothes for LFW 2023. La London, TOGA, Helen Anthony, Asai, Julien Macdonald and other designers brought to life their emphasis on the liberation of individuals via fashion. Faux fur trims, padded and puffy clothing and draping all combined to make the wearer feel comfortable. The collections were simple but audacious, subtle but daring.
