London Fashion Week opens with tribal, floral-inspired designs

LONDON (Reuters) - Designers turned to nature for inspiration on the opening day of London Fashion Week on Friday, showcasing a collection of sheer silk dresses, delicate embroidery and elegant structural show pieces all featuring a floral-inspired theme.

Britain's capital took over the baton from New York, which wrapped up its week with sparkly dresses and bold geometric prints, with a more pared-down color palette of fresh pastels and faded dip-dyes.

Designers Antoni & Alison opened the day with a series of quirky silk printed dresses, followed by Fyodor Golan, whose show was in the grandiose lounge of the Waldorf Hilton and inspired by the designs of Mayan and Aztec cultures.

Models floated down the steps in structured silhouettes varying in electric blue, canary yellow, blood orange and bright pink hues, with intricate beaded embroidery and tribal-inspired prints and cutouts.

'We wanted to show lightness and spirituality and at the same time to have that sexuality there. So it's that contrast but it's not in your face, it's still strong and gives you power but it's very emotional, something that will engage you,' Designer Fyodor Podgorny told Reuters after the show.

Podgorny along with his partner Golan Frydman has consistently impressed critics since their debut collection two years ago.

The duo kept their look neutral, with slicked back ponytails and bare faces on models offset by delicate painted tribal tattoos and intricate facial jewellery covering eyes and noses.

Veteran fashion journalist Hilary Alexander said she was impressed by the attention to detail and vibrant colors.

'It's not for everybody, a woman who's a minimalist would probably throw up her hands in horror but I happen to love them,' Alexander said.

Designer Corrie Nielsen told Reuters that her collection, entitled Florilegium, was inspired by the Royal Botanic gardens in London and Japanese artist Makoto Murayama.

'Everything has been cut three-dimensionally and shaped, inspired from the flower,' Nielsen said.

The collection also featured sleek tailored pieces alongside dip-dyed silk blouses and origami-folded jackets in pale yellows, pinks and creams.

Sheer dresses embellished with embroidered appliqué details in icy blues, mint greens and lilacs were seen at Bora Aksu.

Models were adorned with cut-out felt crowns, sporting braids and back-combed hair, wearing light printed and embroidered gowns inspired by art deco and botanical gardens.

'I just wanted to create something that was really light,' Aksu said.

'There's texture on it but it's very light, there's prints and embroideries and stuff but it's almost like a light layer, so nothing is really heavy. I wanted to make it like air.'

(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Paul Casciato)



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