The AW23 season was a very strong season full of impressive collections, with the overall directions and themes really working well for Harrods and our customers. Across London, Milan, and Paris we saw brands showing collections that are more elevated; showcasing their mastery in tailoring, technique, and craft, signalling a return to an appreciation and celebration of a houses’ heritage and DNA, all presented in a way that is forward thinking and incredibly modern. In previous seasons, we have felt a domination in more street inspirations or based on a focus in either day or evening, but this season has catered for all aspects of modern life from morning coffee to event dressing and everything in between. Many brands showed collections that showcased complete wardrobes in an utterly desirable yet also completely relatable way.
In London, we celebrated Daniel Lee’s debut collection for Burberry which made a commanding declaration of his vision for the brand and interpretation of modern Britishness. Outerwear is the heart and soul of Burberry, and this was at the forefront of the collection, all reworked in new volumes, fabrications, finishes and new bold, rich colourways. London also played host to so many incredible local designers producing the most elegant and refined sophistication with the collections being more elevated and luxurious than ever before. We saw a huge amount of textural, rich fabrications and a lot of event and evening dressing, but also extremely sophisticated options for daytime too. Tove celebrated their London Fashion Week debut with a collection that encapsulated an air of soft sophistication and glamorous wardrobing for the modern woman. As expected, Erdem displayed a collection steeped in historical references from silhouettes to fabrications, techniques, and treatments meanwhile Roksanda reminded us of her prowess as an exceptional colourist, contrasting the wash of blacks and winter whites we saw throughout the rest of the weekend with bursts of fuchsia and red to cobalt and duck egg blues and saffron yellow.
Must have item from London: Burberry’s new take on the house’s iconic trenchcoat, this time in an oversized silhouette featuring a bold coloured shearling collar will be on countless wishlists next season.
There was a strength to Milan this season, several Creative Directors performing at the top of their game and show after show of truly wearable and desirable pieces. This season, for the first time in some seasons we saw the pared back, and understated elegance outweigh the glamour and extravagance we have come to associate with Milan Fashion Week, as Bottega Veneta, Prada and Jil Sander lead the way for a sharper more elegant aesthetic. A standout for me within the week had to be Matthieu Blazy’s performance at Bottega Veneta. For his third season at the helm of Bottega, Matthieu showed the breadth of his vision he is so clearly brining to life within the house; from the sophisticated embellishment and inventive fabrications to strict, minimal tailoring, the collection was highlight after highlight.
Must have item from Milan: A floor skimming grey coat – it’s an absolute must have .
The Paris Fashion Week schedule showcased many brands doing what they do best, and as a result we saw some exceptionally chic, extraordinarily elegant collections. On a spectrum of playful to minimalistic there was something for everyone in Paris whether that be the most lust-worthy minimalist wardrobe at The Row to a play with form and fabrication at Loewe! Tailoring played a huge role in many collections in Paris, from McQueen’s exploration of beauty and power through the house’s iconic tailoring with a focus on cut, proportion, and shape and for those looking for a more dramatic suiting silhouette, Saint Laurent’s ode to the 80’s was iconic! Daniel Roseberry’s first pret-a-porter runway show for Schiaparelli was hugely special and an important step in the revival of the house, the collection was rich in detail fabrication and execution and the cut and pattern making was exceptionally masterful which made for the most glamorous wardrobe imaginable.
Must have item from Paris: Tailoring, in which ever guise you prefer whether that be sharp, structured, and strong or fluid, relaxed and draped!
