London Fashion Week has arrived, to break down the best of the best, BAZAAR is selecting the top 5 looks from the best Spring 2015 collections.
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1
Simone Rocha
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Simone Rocha held her Spring presentation in the sort of ancient church you can only find in Europe. Although the collection notes referenced "the fleeting time of youth, beauty and love." And indeed the opening looks seemed to show the chicest widows in black we've ever seen.
-Kerry Pieri
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2
Simone Rocha
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The opening moody organ music gave way to something a bit more energized as a series of looks featuring mesh over-layed with cheery red blooms walked. Rocha calls this "tulle tailoring," easily integrating the season's so-far standout fabric.
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3
Simone Rocha
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The widow look went blush in a sheer trench with matching head scarf. Rocha was in search of "fidelity and fragility" and this breath thin piece certainly fulfills the latter.
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4
Simone Rocha
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A next selection of black dresses feels less like the widow sliding back into mourning and more like her re-entry to the party. Sheer noir with floral overlay are sexy and cool while remaining interesting and smart—just what the Rocha girl is after.
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5
Simone Rocha
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Not to overstate the theme, but the finale nude and white dresses aren't too far off from a second wedding look. Rocha revisits the familiar Old World (think Baroque) tailoring from season's past on a white brocade dress, inspired by Curves by Richard Gorman.
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6
Tom Ford
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When Tom Ford does sex with a side of restraint, no one does it better. When Tom Ford does sex with no restraint, no one does it bigger. He served up both for spring. His dark-to-all black collection simmered and sizzled and in some cases, twirled around that pole, too, tapping into every man's fantasy.
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7
Tom Ford
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The lean black suits with toggle closures and printed satin suits cut within a hair's width of the body were a reminder that Ford is, above all else, a consummate tailor. You're not just wearing a suit; it's fit to you like a glove.
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8
Tom Ford
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A tuxedo for evening is not a new proposition by any stretch, and yet it looked just right here. The tousled hair, the kohl-rimmed eyes and nude lips; the sheer t-shirt peeking out beneath a buttoned-up suit. Don't mess with this chick.
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9
Tom Ford
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A few skintight dresses, some in banded gold lame, were reminiscent of his Gucci days, when silhouettes were spare but sexed-up with insets and cut-outs at all the erogenous zones.
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10
Tom Ford
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And then things got kinky, with sculpted bras, bondage strap tops and bandeaus, chain mail mini dresses and sparkling starburst pasties detailing both goddess dresses and leather bras.
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11
Giles
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Fans of Giles Deacon love a good sense of humor. Fashion can be beautiful, sure, but it can also be fun. While his collections can often get super literal, they're charming enough to get away with it. So spring's pajama-dressing cum serpentine cum tiger paw collection felt like a tongue-in-cheek good time.
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12
Giles
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But all this revelry-making does not mean that Deacon doesn't know how to cut cloth with the best of them (for a long time, he shared a studio with Katie Hillier, Luella Bartley, Katie Grand and Stuart Vevers) or that he doesn't know how to work a trend his way. Case-in-point, all the super wearable dresses, skirts and even a jumpsuit.
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13
Giles
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He spliced together tinted black-and-white prints of tiger faces and paws, on beautifully tailored ball gowns and cute day dresses, worn with silver brogues. These were followed by giant paw prints on every manner of dress: sheath, sac, column, etc.
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14
Giles
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As over-the-top as the tiger motif was, he tempered it with a cream or pale pink idea. Especially neat was a pink damask shell worn with extra long culottes. Yes, you need to be extra tall to do it justice, but maybe one of those tony British ladies will step up.
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15
Giles
Media Platforms Design Team
And clearly, Deacon and Mary Katrantzou must have spoken about snakes. Deacon used the snakes as a whirly black and silver print on capes and cocktail dresses; a pink banded slitherer on an intarsia sweater, or 3D pipe-cleaner version slinking across a pale pink jumpsuit.
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16
Christopher Kane
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Backstage at Christopher Kane, there was a poster board that said Spring 2015 was dedicated to the memory of Professor Louise Wilson, who passed away earlier this year. Wilson was not just one of Kane's professors at Central Saint Martins, but an OBE-awarded industry legend (and a consulting designer for Donna Karan). She was the kind of teacher who'd give your B+ worthy presentation a D+ because she knows that you dialed it in. Her saltiness and brutally frank assessment of student work no doubt prepared Kane for years of being critiqued by editors and buyers. It also instilled in him and his peers a need to do his best every season. It worked.
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17
Christopher Kane
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His spring collection worked two angles: sailors' knots and restrained volume. Of the latter, bunches of tulle were used to give spare silhouettes some movement and depth.
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18
Christopher Kane
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The matte texture of tulle played nicely against Kane's slick silks in black, maroon, lavender and off-white. His girls looked like cool ballerinas in mini-dresses and skirts
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19
Christopher Kane
Media Platforms Design Team
There was a softness to the gauzier pieces, and a ladylike quality that is new territory for Kane, whose bright, pop art-y collections have been a fan and editorial favorite for the last few seasons.
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20
Christopher Kane
Media Platforms Design Team
Professor Wilson would certainly be proud of Kane's effort, especially of the all the knotted looks, like dresses covered in embroidered sailors' knots or the flirtier evening fare where the knots came undone, flowing down midi skirts and gowns.
Nandini D'Souza Wolfe has been writing about fashion since she was a 22-year-old in wire-rim glasses, fleece vests and Doc Martens. Her look has evolved, but she still approaches the art, commerce and personalities of the fashion industry with the same excitement. She has been reviewing the runway collections for Bazaar since 2009, the same year she wrote Harper's Bazaar's book, 'Fabulous At Every Age', and helped launch its semi-annual Runway Report. Recently, Nandini edited Tory Burch's New York Times Bestselling book 'Tory Burch In Color' and served as the designer's Editorial Director. Prior to that, she was a senior editor at W Magazine and Women's Wear Daily. When not writing about fashion, she is usually playing tennis or Uno with her two children and husband.