London Fashion Week AW17 - Day 3

Day three of London Fashion Week was another stellar day on the calendar, starting with Margaret Howell and ending with the Diesel party late at night. Below are some of the highlights of the day:

Margaret Howell

It's an early start for buyers and editors on Sunday, but the 9am slot firmly belongs to Margaret Howell, whose familiar ground of wearable clothes are the antithesis of the young brands trying to break their way into the industry.

We saw some of the familiar done/undone styling here, with shirting half-tucked out, elongated belts let loose down the leg, but there was a sensuality in these clothes, particularly the rich colour palette of midnight navy, utility green and greys.

In a statement Howell said: ‘I think of myself as a hands-on designer. For me make is integral to my design philosophy. It is crucial how a piece of clothing feels when worn. I’ve always wanted clothes to be the way I drew them – relaxed and lived in, a natural look. I find men’s clothes interesting in their structure, feel and functionality. I started by designing men’s clothes, and then found that women wanted them.

Roland Mouret

Roland Mouret brought his AW17 show back to London from Paris this season in lieu of the brand's 20th anniversary. London is home to the Maison Roland Mouret in Mayfair, where both the headquarters and boutique are housed at number 8 Carlos Place.

Mouret is the king of texture and sculpture, perhaps from his time working under masters Yohji Yamamoto and Azzedine Alaïa. His signature needs no introduction, but this season he gave us dresses and jackets with zippers snaking up the back, and a new silhouette - the way a skirt hem contours as the model walks or a tunic effortlessly layered over long skirt to elongate the look.

Mouret was clever not to enter the see now, buy now debate, but held a discreet salon after this show where guests could pre-order the collection in private.

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi

It's hard to believe this label is over 20 years old. Preen was founded in 1996 by Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi, with a joint love of all things Victoriana, a passion for recycling, and with that masculine and feminine, hard/soft mix the couple bring to their designs.

Instead of show notes, Preen give images of books that inspired their collections, of which this season a biography about the first female press office, Christina Broom, who widely documented the suffragette marches.

The clothes were a mix of the romantic - the floral dresses and skirts cut to contour and drape, and the off-kilter - the smudged lipstick, pointy-toed buckled boots and ruffled tweed worn in intricate layers.

The bold printed quilts had a whiff of the subversive, but will keep you warm on a cold February night.

Mary Katrantzou

There was something about 1940s silhouettes that inspired Katrantzou this season. The way opulent fur on sleeves and collars graced outerwear, or the checked tweed zip ups worn over knee-length skirts.

But it was the Disney theme in the end that got people talking. Fairytale dresses with a sparkly princess motif reminiscent of colourful lands far and beyond. Romantic landscapes that let the imagination soar.

Katrantzou is a master in digital print, and this season they came in exquisite oceanic colours and variations. There were new silhouettes, too, showing that this designer understands that building a business is as much about depth as it is about pretty printed dresses.

Photo credit: Mary Kantrazou: Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP
Preen, Margaret Howell and Roland Mouret: Catwalkpictures