New styles for the new year at London Fashion Week

In mid-September London Fashion Week, with its vision of spring/summer 2014, tried in earnest to defy the grizzly backdrop of autumnal showers and dipping temperatures.

The themes and hues of SS14, all gauche girliness and sunset strips, were both a celebration of a spectacular summer and a reenergised Britain, looking optimistically towards next year.

Geoffrey J Finch of brand Antipodium, based in Bethnal Green, presented a twisted vision of teenage rebellion in the suitably moody underground crypt of Somerset House.

Recognised for its propensity to produce clothes that are both wearable and feminine, Antipodium’s SS14 collection stayed true to that aesthetic but upped the stakes, with a brooding army of lounging models, all mussed up hair and smoky eye make-up adorned in putty and lilac hued slips and sheer iridescent dresses.

References to 1990s films like Clueless were evident in the angst-ridden indie soundtrack and herringbone miniskirt and jacket combinations.

Camisoles studded with sequin flowers and schoolgirl pleats provided yet more references to that very generation, but recognising this as a generation now all grown up, Finch opted for subtler hues, sheer fabrics and sharp cuts.

Antipodium’s use of mermaid colours in iridescent fabrics was just one example of the way in which designers have turned to escapism, nature and marine life for inspiration this season.

Hackney-based JJS Lee looked to jellyfish, with their amorphous shapes and iridescent quality, as her starting point, and played with aquamarine shades and sheer fabrics.

Fashion East, the initiative that nurtures emerging talent, showcased three up-and-coming designers: Claire Barrow, Ryan Lo and Ashley Williams.

Williams continued the oceanic theme with a clean, paired back collection of sunset Miami and shark inspired swimsuits and beachwear.

Sharp swimsuits and collarless coats in muted grey and white were offset by playful crustacean-shaped handbags and motorboat motifs.

Ryan Lo’s collection returned to the overtly girly, in powder pinks and candy stripes with reams of tulle and lace worn by models dressed as domestic animals and field mice.

Hackney-based duo Marques Almeida paid tribute to denim once again at their catwalk show in a sodden Regent’s Park marquee, reinforcing the designers’ love affair with this most versatile and age defying fabric.

Since their affiliation with Fashion East back in 2011, they have refined their denim cutting skills and found new uses for it.

Models streaked the catwalk with sagging ponytails and low slung bootleg jeans, but pared with a tailored denim kimono jacket or sheer pearly mesh, this teenage girl of the nineties became more grown up and womanly.

In one instance, a swathe of frayed denim was tied around the bust to form a bandeau top.

A skirt over trousers recalled more nineties nostalgia and confirmed a growing trend for layers.

Cowhide and pony-skin on sleeveless dresses and trousers were an appropriate addition to the indigo denim and bleached jean.

Teenage nostalgia, marine life and masses of sickly sweet powder pink made for a diverse London Fashion Week, but also reminded us that frivolity and fun underpins the industry.

At the heart of all this was a multitude of East London designers representing British fashion at its most eccentric, playful and boundary-pushing.

From Antipodium’s Clueless coquettishness to Ryan Lo’s romantic woodland creatures, LFW provided palpable joy to all.

Rosie Highham-Stainton blogs at rosiespapercuts.blogspot.co.uk