London Fashion Week Spring 2018: The Scene

WWD Staff

Updated Fri, September 15, 2017 at 4:01 AM UTC

A LITTLE ROMANCE: Erdem Moralioglu is joining the likes of Ganni, Toni Maticevski and Rockins and taking over the Selfridges atrium for an eight-week residency. The space, which is covered in a wallpaper featuring a signature bird and floral print from the designer’s latest collection, brings Moralioglu’s romantic aesthetic to life. It stocks the pre-fall and fall 2017 collections, as well as an exclusive capsule — mostly dresses with florals — created for the retailer as part of Selfridges’ larger “Music Matters” initiative. “It’s great to work with Selfridges on the Music Matters project, especially at a time when live music venues in London are under threat. I have a longstanding relationship with Selfridges stretching back for many years, and I’m really excited about the capsule collection I’ve created for them,” the designer said. — Natalie Theodosi

Selfridges
400 Oxford Street, Marylebone, London W1A 1AB
Web: selfridges.com

GUESS WHO? House of Holland’s Woody Woodpecker-inspired fall 2017 collection has just landed at Fenwick of Bond Street, which is carrying the line exclusively in London. The store’s third floor has been transformed into an ode to Americana, and the set is reminiscent of a diner along Route 66. Henry Holland said he wanted Woody to feel at home in London, hence the array of red, white and blue stars and stripes, and vintage car and checkerboard prints. The collection, which Holland dubbed “Daddy! Where’s my car?” is a love letter to America, the designer said. “I went on a road trip across Tennessee last year and it inspired me to bring together all of my favorite things about American culture, which Woody Woodpecker fit into perfectly. The collection was kind of a mix between Dolly Parton and Lil’ Kim,” he said. The capsule’s prices range from 70 pounds for a T-shirt to 535 pounds for a tartan, wide-leg jumpsuit. Holland’s favorite piece? An oversize shirtdress with stars and stripes all over. — Clara Virieux

Fenwick x House of Holland
63 New Bond St, W1S 1RQ
Web: fenwick.co.uk

USE ME: For one week only, Somerset House is hosting a free exhibition showcasing some of the London design world’s greatest hits. From Sept. 18 to 24, the Terrace Rooms and West Wing Galleries will house works ranging from Harry Beck’s 1931 London Underground map to clothing by Vivienne Westwood and Gareth Pugh. Ben Evans of the Design Frontiers group, which is mounting the show, said the group exhibition is meant to coincide with London Design Festival, which is taking place alongside London Fashion Week. “Design Frontiers displays the broad reach of the discipline: The way in which design touches every part of our everyday lives, and ultimately how it might improve them.” The exhibition also showcases an installation by Pentland Brands’ creative director Katie Greenyer. — Joanna Taylor

Somerset House
Strand, London WC2R 1LA
Web: somersethouse.org.uk

NEW CONCEPT: Arket, a new retail concept from Hennes & Mauritz, has opened the doors of its first flagship on London’s Regent Street and is also stocking a new clothing range in-store and on the web site.

“London is a truly cosmopolitan city where we can reach a broad and international audience,” said Ulrika Bernhardtz, creative director at Arket. “We were extremely lucky to find our location on the corner of Regent Street and opposite the iconic Liberty building. We will also open our second London store in Covent Garden later this autumn.”

Bernhardtz said the brand had been in the works for more than two years, with a rollout planned for 18 European markets. Arket — which means “sheet of paper” in Swedish — offers a range of basics for men, women and children. The collection is priced along the lines of its sister label Cos, and at a slightly higher price point to the H&M.

“To us, Arket represents a modern-day market — both physical and digital — offering a broad, but carefully curated, assortment of products,” Bernhardtz added. “We wish to address the needs of a customer who has high demands but little time, and this has resulted in our assortment being created to simplify choices rather than overwhelm customers.”

Located at 224 Regent Street in the former Banana Republic space, the 10,763-square-foot store spans two floors. The flagship has a minimalist aesthetic with soft gray walls and sleek light fixtures in a similar hue. The first floor houses men’s wear, items for the home and a café, while the second floor carries women’s wear and children’s wear.

It also stocks the label’s own range of minimalist Scandi-inspired clothing as well as a selection of shoes and accessories from brands including Adidas, Converse, Nike, Reebok and Trickers. Niche labels such as Brio, Goki and Hario also feature. The café menu takes its cue from the New Nordic Food Manifesto. — Lorelei Marfil

Arket
224 Regent St, Soho, London W1B 3BR
Web: arket.com

POLISH APPEAL: Polish high-street label Reserved made its London debut earlier this month, having taken over the former BHS flagship on Oxford Street. The 2,300-square-foot store carries women’s wear, men’s wear and children’s wear, and unlike other high-street labels, the ranges are less trend-led and more focused on a cool, undone style. Reserved’s aesthetic resonated with British model Kate Moss who fronted the brand’s latest campaign. She’s dressed in monochromatic leather looks with her signature messy hairstyle. — Natalie Theodosi

Reserved
252-258 Oxford St, London W1C 1DL
Web: reserved.com

EAST MEETS WEST: Luxury hotel and restaurant chain Nobu, cofounded by Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa and actor Robert De Niro, opened June in Shoreditch, East London. The building’s facade is made from printed and layered glass while the interiors are done in wood and cast concrete. Murals have been done by local artists. The ground floor features a bar, restaurant and 10-seat sushi counter. — Sam FitzGibbon

Nobu Hotel
10-50 Willow Street
EC2A 4BH
Web: nobuhotelshoreditch.com

BRITISH DISCRETION: The appropriately named Trafalgar, which looks onto Trafalgar Square, boasts of being London’s most central hotel. Not clearly advertised, its premises are hidden within the corner block of a grand, yet unassuming, Art Deco building. A rooftop bar features spectacular northeastern views over the square. — S.F.

The Trafalgar
2 Spring Gardens, SW1A 2TS
Web: trafalgarstjames.com

SECRET GARDEN: Petersham Nurseries, the elegant home and garden center in Richmond, southwest London, has opened an outpost in Covent Garden. Located in a Grade II listed Victorian building, the rooms have been transformed into indoor green spaces illuminated by skylights. There is an Italian delicatessen next door, and a restaurant is set to open there, too. — S.F.

Petersham Nurseries
Floral Court, London, WC2E 8JD
Web: petershamnurseries.com

FASHION TOGETHER: Lou Stoppard, fashion writer and editor of SHOWStudio, has curated an exhibition of the work of Nick Knight, Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, Inez & Vinoodh, Thom Browne and more. The works that Stoppard has assembled focus on the importance of collaboration in the world of fashion and range from ephemera-like sketches and handwritten notes to garments, films and photographic prints. The exhibition, titled “Fashion Together,” will be shown at the LCF’s Fashion Space Gallery and opens on Sept. 9. — S.F.

London College of Fashion
20 John Prince’s Street, London, W1G 0BJ
Web: fashionspacegallery.com

BALENCIAGA HOMAGE: The V&A’s latest show, “Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion,” takes an intimate look at different aspects of Balenciaga’s work, ranging from his signature shapes to his intricate process of constructing garments and his client relationships.

It’s the first major U.K. show dedicated to the Spanish designer who, despite his great talent, was one of fashion’s quietest stars.

“What’s so frustrating about Balenciaga is that his voice is nowhere. He only ever did one interview, so you don’t get him talking about his clothes. Because of that, there’s a lot of mythology around him,” said the show’s curator Cassie Davies-Strodder. She said the designer’s private personality prevented him from promoting himself. It was his work that did the talking. “When you see it closely, you can understand he was a real perfectionist.”

The exhibition is staged in a small, intimate space within the museum. “His work is much more about the details and looking into it closer. We felt a smaller space would be more appropriate for that,” Davies-Strodder said.

Top displays include the baby-doll dress that simultaneously reveals and conceals the body; the sack dress that stirred controversy for being unsexy — and radically different from the popular hourglass silhouette pioneered by Balenciaga’s rival Christian Dior — and the envelope dress he designed shortly before he retired in 1967, confirming his impact on the decade. — Natalie Theodosi

Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion
May 27-Feb. 18
Cromwell Road, Knightsbridge, London SW7 2RL
Web: vam.ac.uk

SUI RETROSPECTIVE: “I never consciously thought about it, but I do see a pattern throughout my whole career,” said Anna Sui during a walk-through of the retrospective mounted by London’s Fashion and Textile Museum.

Sui staged her first runway show in 1991, and is known for her exuberant looks made from rich fabrics, prints and colors, and for tapping into subcultures. The showcase features 125 ensembles complete with accessories, shoes and hats, and highlights the designer’s collaborations, collections, interior work and process. Looks on display span from schoolgirlish silhouettes worn by Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell at her first show to the cowboy and cheerleader outfits modeled by Gigi and Bella Hadid during the designer’s spring show.

Another room is dedicated to the designer’s inspirations while she was growing up in Detroit. It is filled with magazine editorials and colorful sketches, various achievements and looks from Ossie Clark and Biba. Another focuses on her life in the Big Apple. Sui moved to New York, studied fashion at The New School’s Parsons School of Design and opened her first store there in 1991.

There’s an area dedicated to her creative partnerships with industry names such as Pat McGrath, Erickson Beamon and James Coviello. Sui’s mood boards, photographs, runway photographs and sketches are also on display.

The exhibition, in association with Albion Cosmetics and Inter Parfums Inc., will run until Oct. 1. — Lorelei Marfil

The World of Anna Sui, Fashion and Textile Museum
83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF
Web: ftmlondon.org

NEW DUCK IN TOWN: The popular East London eatery Duck and Waffle has opened a new sister branch to fulfill ongoing demand from customers. Duck and Waffle Local — located in the heart of Piccadilly Circus — has been designed as a more accessible version to the original Liverpool Street branch. It boasts speedy, hassle-free service with customers able to order direct from the counter and new takeaway options. Famous for its namesake dish — duck and waffle — the restaurant serves traditional British cuisine fused with European influences. Additions to the menu include a unique duck jam doughnut and a duck burger. — Natalie Chui

Duck and Waffle Local
52 Haymarket, St. James’s, London SW1Y 4RP
Web: duckandwaffle.com

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