London - Caroline Kent
Autumn/Winter 2013 collection
Knitwear was taken to the extreme in a show that portrayed Mark Fast as we know and love him.
Besides the Canadian designer presenting black swan ballerinas, which
we'll come to later, he bought swathes of colour-burst knitwear. A burnt orange poncho and fuschia frock harked the liberation of London's winter wear from the dark days when Autumn spelled the start of gloomy wardrobes, and coats came in black, grey or black.
It's more than likely that Parisian brand Celine signalled the changing attitudes towards colour-blocking capsule pieces first. Furthermore, fashion becomes seasonless as we buy what we fall in love with, rather than last season's recycled uniform. For that we have the recession to thank.
It's also thanks to London's new influx of talent such as Peter Pilotto and Mary Katrantzou pushing the boundaries with print. We're now much less afraid to sing loud and proud with pops of colour.
Befitting in the beauty stakes, Tigi created flashes of brilliantly vivid hair for the show, setting super bright extensions against low brunette ponytails.
Back to our dark and complex alter-ego. She strode in a punky fishnet top, juxtaposed with a fluttering, impossibly intricate feather skirt. The stark contrast between brazen black grunge and fragile femininity played perfectly in to the hands of the gothic aesthetic that had inspired Mark this season.
The fashion pack never fail to be impressed by what Fast offers in the knitwear stakes, and Autumn/Winter 2013 certainly didn't cease to impress.