Bora Aksu catwalk show report for LFW S/S 2016

With barely enough time to remove the popcorn from the treads of one’s shearling-lined Gucci slipper-loafers (remnants from Marc Jacobs’ closing night Ziegfeld extravaganza), London Fashion week is upon us.

It’s an altogether different (still beautiful) beast to New York, enjoying that comfortable space in the fashion month calendar when the fashion set still as yet unjaded by a hectic “Florals for spring? Groundbreaking” schedule. (Pity Paris, by which time the excitement of Opening Ceremony’s unsteady models, Yeezy’s déjà vu offering and whatever Jeremy Scott pulls out of the bag at Moschino will be long forgotten).

It was this optimistic mood that permeated Bora Aksu’s S/S 2016 collection (and the front row, with Hilary Alexander happily running down the runway to snap singer Tallia Storm before the show). While Instagram teasers had portrayed sombre illustrated characters (as beautiful as any Tim Burton protagonist, but in glorious technicolour – Corpse Bride goes to Turkey, perhaps?), what played out on the catwalk was a homage to colour and light, inspired by the summers Aksu spent as a child at his family’s country house in Izmir, Turkey.

This preoccupation with light shone forth in feminine silhouettes, intricate lace finishes and decidedly ethereal textures: silk tulle and organza sat alongside brocades and structured cottons, in a palette that brought to mind the most fabulous and sun-drenched orchard – think lemon, pomegranate, and that lush tangerine that was seen all over the New York runways.

Providing a welcome foil to this froth of femininity, nods to louche tailoring can be attributed to Etheldreda Laing, an amateur photographer from the early 20^th century, who was known for her vivid portraits, many of which featured her daughters in the gardens of their home in Oxford.

Popcorny loafers or not, it was an unashamedly joyous start to London Fashion Week.

Jessica Aureli
Photos: Krisztian Pinter