Ahh September in London. Fashion students wrap up in their finest frocks to eagerly view up-and-coming shows from the back row, international supermodels enter through Heathrow arrivals, and the city is draped in the anticipation to see what trends are flowing out of the fashion houses this year. It’s an exciting time, and this year London Fashion Week has faced its 40th year. To celebrate this fourth decade of the chic festivities we decided to have a dip into the ILN archives and get nostalgic. Pulling out images and illustrations from 40 years back (and beyond) to see how these vintage silhouettes compare with what hit the runways this week. Some fashion circles back, some is timeless – but all these years later, what has stayed present?
40 Years of London Fashion Week: Which Vintage Looks made it to 2024?
19th September 2024
With London Fashion Week turning 40 this week, in true SPHERE style we have pulled a few images out of the archives to see what vintage looks have made it to 2024. Did polka dots ever go out of style? Is 1920s layering back in? And which designers are still modernising Dior's 'New Look'?
We all know Christian Dior. The cinched in waist, full skirt, wide shoulders. This silhouette, better known as Dior’s ‘New Look’, has always influenced other designers. Whether than be now, or the the year after Dior first released it in 1947. Displayed here, in the Maggy Rouff Spring Fashion Show of 1948. As the model struts in a white organdie evening gown inspired from Dior’s New Look, adorned with large white polka dots. Now, polka dots. Did they ever go? Or did they always stay in vogue.
Well, Anna Wintour seems to think the classic print will never go out of style. As she recently rocked up to the Off-White NYFW show dazzling in dots, and designers have followed. For her SS25 collection, Canadian fashion designer Edeline Lee took polka and ran with it. Creating a series of simple effective silhouettes in a navy and white dotted print to display in this, her first ever catwalk show at London Fashion Week. Additionally playing around with tassels and distort, this collection brings in the structured silhouettes of the 1940s with a playful tasselled twist.
Corsets that squeeze, and ruffles galore. Just above is an engraving depicting May Paris fashions in 1870, featured in ‘The Illustrated London News’. These Victorian styles are seen seeping into sketches time and time again, influencing designers to experiment with volume and challenging them to freshen such a classical silhouette in this modern age. Being a designer with bridal at the forefront of their work, it is no surprise that Richard Quinn delivers on stunning romantic silhouettes with a Victorian edge. This year presenting a series of twinkling embellished gowns with gloves, corsets and capes for that vintage vibe.
Paul Costelloe also deserved a humble mention here for this fabulous corseted bandeau dress with a puff skirt. Pieced together by a leafy cyan pattern, this simple but dimensional design effectively nods to those ruffled skirts of the 1800s with an avant-garde take.
Pushing time forward from the 1800s to the late 1920s, we have fished out this iconic sketch by Gordon Conway from 1929. Featuring a woman wearing a tweed suit, wool sweater and a matching scarf. Of course, during this time women's fashion took a daring leap into the modern age with flapper dresses, bobbed hair, and bold accessories. Hemlines rose, waistlines dropped, and women danced the Charleston in sparkling beaded gowns. It was a time of liberation topped with a cloche hat.
This divine pairing of smart collar style and flowing maxi skirts is seen in Bora Aksu’s SS25 collection. The Turkish designer had dedicated the entire collection to his late mother, a long-standing muse for his work. While honing some elements of 1920s design, the boxy belted jackets see influence directly from 1960s women’s fashion. With layered tulles, cardigans and shades these delicate but dominant looks are a feast for the eyes reaching into the years of fashion’s past.
To immerse yourself in a runway through time, Vogue's Inventing the Runway exhibition is coming to Lightroom Kings Cross this October. Visually exploring the historical development of fashion runway shows from the early 20th century until the present day. Find out more and book via: lightroom.uk/whats-on/vogue-inventing-the-runway
