The Top 5 Trends We Spotted at London Fashion Week

Overall, the message from the London runways was clear: Go big or go home.

Date February 20, 2019

We may only be halfway through fashion month—with New York and London down, and Milan and Paris to go—but next season’s biggest trends are already taking shape. We’ve rounded up the biggest trends from the NYFW runways, and here’s our takeaway from the London shows.

Britannia
With Brexit looming and conversations about the UK’s fate becoming increasingly fraught, designers seemed to have British heritage on their minds. Honouring their country’s rich sartorial traditions, they delivered plenty of tweed (Burberry, JW Anderson, Roland Mouret), plaid (A.W.A.K.E, House of Holland, Vivienne Westwood) and argyle (Preen, Victoria Beckham, Molly Goddard).

1/10

Britannia

A.W.A.K.E

2/10

Britannia

Burberry

3/10

Britannia

House of Holland

4/10

Britannia

Margaret Howell

5/10

Britannia

JW Anderson

6/10

Britannia

Molly Goddard

7/10

Britannia

Roland Mouret

8/10

Britannia

Preen

9/10

Britannia

Victoria Beckham

10/10

Britannia

Vivienne Westwood

Exaggerated sleeves
Bigger is better, announced London, via voluminous sleeves of multiple varieties: billowy at Roksanda; leg-of-mutton at Shrimps; pouffy at Preen; big and ruched at Simone Rocha; and feathered at Peter Pilotto. Next season, it seems, is going to be all about being seen.

1/10

Exaggerated Sleeves

Christopher Kane

2/10

Exaggerated Sleeves

Christopher Kane

3/10

Exaggerated Sleeves

Peter Pilotto

4/10

Exaggerated Sleeves

Preen

5/10

Exaggerated Sleeves

Rejina Pyo

6/10

Exaggerated Sleeves

Richard Quinn

7/10

Exaggerated Sleeves

Roksanda

8/10

Exaggerated Sleeves

Simone Rocha

9/10

Exaggerated Sleeves

Shrimps

10/10

Exaggerated Sleeves

Emilia Wickstead

Red
Orange dominated the New York runways and we saw it here too—at Shrimps, Richard Quinn, Roksanda and House of Holland—but eventually it was red that emerged as London’s ruling hue. There was ‘lipstick red’ at Victoria Beckham, crimson at Richard Malone, vermillion at Emilia Wickstead, and fire engine red at Ports 1961.

1/7

Red

Erdem

2/7

Red

Roland Mouret

3/7

Red

Ports 1961

4/7

Red

Richard Malone

5/7

Red

Simone Rocha

6/7

Red

Victoria Beckham

7/7

Red

Emilia Wickstead

Oversized bags
We’re not predicting that small, structured handbags are going anywhere, but they’re going to have to share room with their oversized brethren next season if the boxy purses, feathered totes and carry-alls we saw on the runway are any indication.

1/6

Oversized Bags

Rejina Pyo

2/6

Oversized Bags

Natasha Zinko

3/6

Oversized Bags

Shrimps

4/6

Oversized Bags

Toga

5/6

Oversized Bags

Emilia Wickstead

6/6

Oversized Bags

Ports 1961

Metallics
Silver and gold appeared in various guises on the London runways: sequins at Ashish (of course) and Simone Rocha, iridescence at Halpern and Christopher Kane, and plissé metallics at Peter Pilotto. Overall, the message from London was to go big or go home, whether through traffic-stopping hues, exaggerated silhouettes or shiny, magpie-worthy metallics.