I saw this girl above on the dance floor late in the evening at the House of Holland party. I told my friends, “Wow, I love how she has flowers sticking out of a studded black patent leather bag.” In fact, she pretty much summed up London Fashion Week thus far this season (or at least my perception of it) with this one gesture. The London runways have been a bit too floral-inflected this week for my taste – floral prints were everywhere from Paul Smith to Erdem to House of Holland, frilly trimmings and rosettes were blooming at Luella and Temperley, and actual flowers have been placed on audience seats and incorporated into runway structures and backdrops. Where’s Gareth Pugh when you need a good old-fashioned black PVC gimp suit?
Fortunately the cool London kids, fashion students, and young editors who’ve been coming to the shows and parties have been darkening the mood with their dependably eclectic mix of rock, punk, gothic, rude boy, DIY, androgynous, and vintage looks that the British do so well. Despite the flowers on his runway, the We’re Desperate look was in abundance at Hank Holland’s after party. That’s where most of the photos below were shot. He DJed his own party along with Geordon MisShape and a few other guests. They banged Ladyhawke, Lily Allen, Cut/Copy, Hercules, Madge, and loads of other Stylesightings faves. Fiona and I started the evening at the Liberty party for their new Acne shop-in-shop…another example of minimal and edgy rubbing shoulders with the floral mafia. We spilled out of there with around 10 people (including Lena, Yvan, Ida from Swedish Elle and several others), caused a scene on a double-decker night bus, and then gatecrashed the queue at the HOH party – throughly trampling any flowers that we encountered along the way. xo eddie
