Just like London, with its perpetually torn-up streets and a skyline studded with cranes, J.W. Anderson’s collection was one big work in progress — at least that’s how he saw it. Anderson’s materials may have been softer and sexier than the average builder’s — feathers and chain mail among them — but the idea remains the same. London doesn’t stand still for a minute — and neither does Jonathan Anderson.
In the space of just a few weeks, he’s moved from a signature men’s collection that was all colored patches of macramé, chunky knits and cocooning shapes to a women’s lineup of light and fluttery silhouettes, tucked here and slashed there.
Anderson described the collection as a style odyssey. “You have this idea of something that is uberfeminine, but at the same time it can crash, and then it kind of builds itself up again. It’s this idea of stripping it right back to an outline silhouette — something very reduced — and then you start to build it up again,” the designer said backstage to describe the sleek looks done in materials such as fur, leather, nylon and silk.
Dresses ranged from the workwear-inspired to the arty and fantastical. Some were done

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The crackle and rustle of crunchy foils and plastic textiles was like a backing track to much of the work by the 16 M.A. students from Central Saint Martins who took part in a group runway show on Friday.
Among the highlights were looks by Amir Khorasany, Robert Sanders and Peter Movrin, whose joyfully showy pieces came in fuchsia, silver or gold foil.
Gabriele Lukas’ demure collection of modest knitwear silhouettes stood out as a moment of serenity in a storm of color, complicated textures and conceptual silhouettes. Her lineup of pleated midiskirts, pretty blouses and a bookish blazer had an old-fashioned collegiate appeal, and earned her the L’Oréal Professionnel Creative Award.
Lukas shared the accolades with textiles major Stefan Cooke, who presented an innovative lineup of treated fabrics. Jackets were woven from strips of cloth while trompe l’oeil trousers were printed with that same weave on pants made from wide strips of elastic.
Among the other women’s wear highlights were Tom Guy’s silk moiré strapless dresses in candy-floss colors that had playfully bouffant tulle Watteau skirts. They were embellished with embroidery and crystals.
As in recent seasons, the men’s wear lineups stood out for their polished execution. Particularly noteworthy was Joshua Walters’ disciplined take on men’s

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“Women Fashion Power” was a Zaha Hadid-designed show at London’s Design Museum a few years ago and it could easily have been the title of Simone Rocha’s  fall collection. Rocha has built her business on statement clothing, but in the past those designs have tended toward the ethereal.
This season, she dialed down the dreaminess and marched  into new territory with a lineup of military-inspired clothing and voluminous faux furs — protective clothing for challenging times. Even Rocha’s flowers — chunky crochet leather appliquès on coats or colored embroidery on sheer tulle and organza dresses — served a practical, as well as a decorative, purpose.
“It was my version of camouflage — all that deep floral foliage coming together, and then almost becoming this tapestry, this idea of protection,” said Rocha, who opened her show with oversized, belted military coats done in heavy, bonded velvet, and skirt suits in olive satin, both with oversized patch pockets.
Those don’t-mess-with-me looks gave way to softer ones — but even they had a dark edge. Colored flowers — in yellow or red — blossomed over sheer black dresses, some of which were layered under chunky fur capes or over white dresses, while fat fur ribbons or bows

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Sleek, strong shapes and a rainbow of punchy colors were the hallmarks of Marta Jakubowski’s collection. “It’s quite early Nineties,” mused the Poland-born designer on the sidelines of her presentation Friday. “I really feel like a lot of women back then dressed up for themselves, rather than trying to impress anyone.”
Among the looks were draped, high-waisted pants in shades of orange or hot pink, paired with tight, midriff-baring velvet tops that gathered and tied at the waist. Jakubowski also sent out mini and shiftdresses that looked as if they’d been crafted from deconstructed puffer jackets — another Nineties staple that’s enjoying something of a revival.
Tailored styles got the designer’s multicolor treatment, too, as in a hot pink, tailored jumpsuit with a jacket top.
With Jakubowski’s models assembled as a tableau against swaths of material in colors that echoed the clothes, this concise collection made a powerful, feminine statement.

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CHANNEL HOP: London Fashion Week isn’t just a hotbed of emerging talent. Established designers have their place, too. After 16 years of showing his women’s wear collections in Paris, London-based Hussein Chalayan returned to London to show his Chalayan fall 2017 collection on Saturday.
After the show, which he presented at Sadler’s Wells Theater (a venue he’s used in the past, and the site of a collaboration with a contemporary dance company last year) Chalayan laid out his reasons for coming back.
“We left London, as we felt we were making this very big effort…but a lot of people weren’t coming to London at that time. And we felt for business we had to go to Paris – and when we moved to Paris our business grew considerably,” he said. “These days it’s different. You have to remember that digital media, the whole thing, was not as developed as it is now – it was a different life.”
Chalayan also showed his first men’s runway collection in January during London Fashion Week Men’s. And in 2015, the designer debuted a sleek store on Mayfair’s Bourdon Street. Asked whether he’ll continue to show his women’s collection in London, the designer was noncommittal.
“I don’t know

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SPACE ODYSSEY: On|Off, the London-based showcase that helped kick-start the careers of J.W. Anderson and Peter Pilotto, among others, took over London’s Oxo Tower on Friday to introduce three new designers: Luke Anthony Rooney, Jack Irving and Timothy Bouyez-Forge.
Taking cues from Rosalind Russell, the feisty, fashionable reporter who played opposite Cary Grant in the 1940 screwball comedy, “His Girl Friday,” Rooney offered a lovely wardrobe that oscillated between breezy weekend dressing and crisp workwear, in line with Russell’s character.
To wit, he paired a striped knitted sweater with a wonderfully light, silky slipdress and conjured a jumpsuit from a textured wool fabric donated to him by Christian Lacroix.
The group show quickly turned conceptual with Irving’s “army of alien showgirls,” as he called them. Cue corsets sculpted from plastic shards and matching headwear and zippy, sequined stretch bodysuits with inflatable spikes protruding from the back like a giant cosmic porcupine.
“I’m only 23,” Irving offered apologetically, “I don’t want to wash it down. I want to be more of an artist than a fashion designer,” he said. One could only picture Lady Gaga — an avid Irving supporter — sporting one of these.
Bouyez-Forge offered his take on inter-galactic street dressing. The spirited lineup featured handsomely distorted silhouettes done in

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Creative directors Laura Cramer and Starr Hout looked at California’s natural landscape to find some solace from the nation’s current political tension. The collection was infused with a relaxed, comfortable vibe, enhanced by a palette of earthy tones enlightened by touches of pale pink and orange. A botanical print was splashed on a feminine wrap dress, while denim was crafted for a range of casual pieces, including an off-the-shoulder dress with a ruffled neckline and a flared skirt matched with a blazer. Shearling coats were cut in oversized, comfy silhouettes and leather was crafted for slightly flared pants paired with a pretty silk and cotton wrap cardigan. The designers also introduced a workwear-inspired feel via crop tops with front zippers and jumpsuits in dyed denim.

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Rejina Pyo stuck to familiar territory this season, with the aim of reinforcing her brand’s signatures. The fall line was a potpourri of some of her most popular styles, ranging from the oversize color-blocked coats she’s been designing since graduating from Central Saint Martins, to feminine midi dresses with voluminous sleeves, high-waisted denim and bell-sleeve tops.
“There are a lot of young brands that might come out with something great, but before people get to know the brand identity, it disappears. By the time people start to want the product, they’re not selling it anymore,” said Pyo. “I wanted to nail it down to what the brand is about and what customers can get from it.”
It seems apt that Pyo is refining her brand identity now, when the company is growing. Following a presentation in New York last season, cohosted by Leandra Medine and Kate Foley, the brand gained momentum and has since been picked up by the likes of Net-a-porter, Browns and Style.com.
While embracing the familiar, Pyo continued to look forward and set challenges for herself. She experimented with a palette of bright fuchsias and dusty pinks, and materials she wouldn’t normally use, such as sequins and florals, adjusting them

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It’d be remiss to talk about Ace & Jig without mentioning the strong emotional reactions it generates with its fans in the social sphere and the communities it creates in reality. Fans are drawn to the unique Indian yarn-dye woven textiles that designers Jenna Wilson and Cary Vaughan introduce each season, holding swap parties in cities the world over, and varying social media hashtags to engage in conscious collection and messages of positivity. Currently “#jigweek,” devotees are sharing uplifting quotes they associate with their purchases; other tags have included “aceweek” and “#ace&jigstack,” where followers fold and stack their collections for others to compare. It’s a budding community rooted in solidarity and diversity.
Launched in 2010, the brand has been resolute in creating nothing but hand-woven textiles and generally pull over styles — no prints, trends or gimmicks here — with a thread of effortless ease. Lest one think collections could become monotonous, weaves of different weights, textures and yarn counts keep the range quite large. Plays on reversible silhouettes and options to wear some items back-to-front keeps it fun and universally appealing. There’s an inherent feeling of organic, approachable design. Highlights from fall included reversible two-ply wovens (not lined!), 3-D tufts

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