Celebrating its 40th anniversary, this year is a monumental one for London Fashion Week in many ways, as proven by the AW24 shows.
While London is typically understood in the seasonal fashion months as a haven for emerging designers and creatives at the beginnings of their careers (and one of the few weeks of the year when high fashion truly takes to the streets), each show always imbues an assured sense of consideration and meticulous refinement hard to find anywhere else.
London’s AW24 shows, as always, presented powerful messaging, many of which continued New York’s dialogues on how clothes are worn and the influence of the arts on fashion.
From Erdem’s dramatic homage to opera singer Maria Callas to Emilia Wickstead’s American city musings, these are Citizen Femme’s highlights from London Fashion Week’s AW24 shows.
For The Drama
Erdem
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Erdem’s autumn/ winter 2024 collection brought a symphonic performance of feminine theatrics to London, where the clothes became almost audible themselves. Black and white cut-outs featuring both on and off-stage photographs of the American-Greek opera singer Maria Callas formed Erdem’s vision board this season. A challenging feat to mirror the power of Maria Callas’ voice through silent clothing, however one that Erdem undoubtedly achieved. The collection referenced both the singer’s on and off stage personas, moving supplely between casual leisurewear (paired with headbands that referenced wig nets) to fur opera coats and caped dresses worn for singing. Ruby red satins drew harmonies between the pyjama sets and cocktail dresses for an operatic ouverture and finale. Florals also repeatedly appeared through bold yellow and pink prints as well as more subtle floral brooches and appliqué to mirror the showering of post performance bouquets the prima donna was no doubt familiar with. The acoustics of the materials themselves were amplified by the echoey chambers of the British Museum where the runway show took place, to accompany the orchestral backdrop of soprano Nadine Benjamin, loudening the overarching grandeur of Erdem’s show.
Simone Rocha
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Cleverly defined as “The third part of a Triptych. Starting with SS24 “The Dress Rehearsal”. Then “The Procession” Couture with Gaultier. And now the final piece “The Wake”” Simone Rocha’s AW24 spared no drama. Eerily toying with themes of love and death, the collection was partly inspired by Queen Victoria’s mourning dress – layers of black crepe with a cinched bodice – with two elements (layering and corsets) featuring heavily in the show. Distinct nods to Simone Rocha’s haute couture background continually appeared through ivory boning, billowing sleeves maintaining their volume despite the thin organza materials that form them, and real roses hidden in dresses. The dimly lit, medieval St Bartholomew Church housed the show, yet despite the cold, priestly setting unexpectedly, black fabrics dominated only 15 of the 50 looks. Instead, in typical Simone Rocha fashion, baby pinks and blues breezed down the runway while metallics also proved to be a mainstay through silver trousers, cropped jackets, and shimmering dresses.
For The Partywear
Emilia Wickstead
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Despite the fashion crowd having just touched down in London following a week’s stint in New York, Emilia Wickstead took us back to America’s fashion capital this weekend. Inspired by Gary Winogrand’s NYC street photography from the 60s and 70s, the AW24 collection is “an invitation to walk through the vibrant streets of mid-century New York, where a melting pot of women – and candid characters from all walks of life – create a richly layered visual tapestry” according to the show notes. Where Emilia Wickstead’s SS24 collection found a relaxed, European laissez-faire August attitude through loose silhouettes, the autumn winter show brought a more subdued sophistication. Moving slightly away from her usual pastels, the earthy neutrals grounded the collection which featured plenty of brown knitwear which moved to mossy emeralds and oxblood reds for the evening wear. Texture rather than print was the focus for Emilia Wickstead, as leather, mohair, twill, and satins fused for this “tapestry”, where New York finds a place and a moment for every look in the collection.
16Arlington
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Marco Capaldo, like Simone Rocha, looked towards more gothic influences for 16Arlington’s autumn/ winter show with the 2019 Sadie Coles’ monstral exhibition My Head is a Haunted House as inspiration. Framed by the Barbican’s brutalist architecture, the collection journeyed from the opening deep black dresses and outerwear to creature-like hints in the furry coats, before elegantly transitioning into vibrant (think blues and purples) leather trousers and eventually the main event: tinsel. Returning to the opening outerwear blacks for an overall synergy, silver tinsel climbed the closing looks characterising the necklines, skirts and even full-length dresses to make a chicly frenetic finale.
For The Tailoring
Noon By Noor
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Titled “Winter Solstice” Noon By Noor’s AW24 collection plunged us back into the depths of the arid months, yet with a refreshing approach to wintry colours and tailoring. Naming London’s modern fashion icons (from editors to writers to stylists including Lucinda Chambers and Isabella Blow) as influences for the clothing, wearability and an ‘eye for balancing layers’ defined the garments. London’s well-loved (and needed) trench was refashioned into a skirt set paired with a matching session hat, which moved into experiments with the classic blazer using fluffy sleeves and corseted or belted waistlines. Monochrome fabrics of red and burgundy pinks were only punctuated by the folkloric, dainty purple florals in an elegant slip dress and two piece. Utilitarian workwear (with clog shoes firmly back in fashion) met with soft tweeds to create innovative but accessible silhouettes, a style inherent to Noon By Noor’s vocabulary.
Eudon Choi
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Eudon Choi is a contemporary womenswear designer who experiments with traditionally masculine tailoring as seen in the beautiful AW24 collection through low waist trousers and thigh-length blazers. Natural camel shades jumped to rich burgundy red and then silky blue palettes which peacefully transitioned to grey across the runway. Pastels weren’t reserved just for spring with soft, baby pink velvets forming the sweetly seductive open-back tops and dresses. Distinguishing this season from previous shows, the eponymous designer elevated the androgyny of suiting through asymmetrical cuts as jagged hemlines met tunic tops while trenches button up diagonally across the body.
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Lead image credit: Erdem, Autumn/ Winter 2024, London, by Jason Lloyd Evans
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