Puppets dressed in miniature versions of full outfits and glossy armour-like structures were among the standout designs at this season's London Fashion Week.
Phoebe English
Phoebe English paired each of her models with a marionette counterpart, wearing the same look but smaller. The womenswear collection included mesh gradients, tops and skirts made from loose webs of knotted string, and curved hems throughout.
A sombre palette of black, white and beige heightened the slightly sinister aesthetic created by the faceless dolls.
Gareth Pugh's innovative collections are always hotly anticipated on the LFW schedule, and the Sunderland-born designer did not disappoint. He curved heavy-looking materials into tubes, wraps and cage-like forms, resulting in red and black garments that look more like armour than clothes.
Other looks feature crumpled metallic sheets that stretch up from the waist to cover the face, all presented in a fashion film rather than a traditional catwalk show.
Richard Quinn
Full body suits worn under satin robes – sometimes all covered with clashing floral prints – were hard to miss at Richard Quinn. Shrouding the models from head to toe, the suits also came in blue velvet and houndstooth patterns.
Later in the show, block colours and metallics took over, and the floral prints were used across more demure dresses.
Marta Jakubowski
Since debuting a range of garments connected by fabric trains at the 2014 RCA graduate show, Marta Jakubowski has quickly set up and refined her eponymous label into a wearable line.
For this season, she deconstructed tailored jackets and trench coats just enough to make them distinct without compromising on functionality. Bold shades of green, red and purple dominated softer creams and lilacs.
Hussein Chalayan predictably produced one of the most sophisticated collections of the week. Returning to London last season after years showing in Paris, his latest output focussed on tailoring rather than his usual playful tricks – although hints could still be spotted.
While some of the models wore delicate veils over their heads, others sported ornately decorated boxy headdresses with cut-outs for the faces. Tab-like fabric sections extended from trouser legs, and small brightly coloured tags were attached to the fronts of otherwise monochrome dresses.