Dolls Eye View: London Fall/Winter 2020 Trends

Disclaimer--All of the information gathered for this report as well as those for Milan and Paris, took place prior to the call for social distancing due to the outbreak of Coronavirus. The girls were able to get through fashion month and head back home, safe and sound and virus free! Currently they are all self quarantined and enjoying their new wardrobes! 

With Brexit behind them, the British style machine is in full metamorphosis. Somewhere between the royal court and punk avant-garde, the British fashion capital has not yet found a way to redefine itself in this 20 year old millennium. The catwalk remains chaotic, vacillating between utilitarian frocks designers know will sell and grab-bag, gender-bender alternatives that feed the need to express their creative side. Many seemed to be dazed, crazed and utterly confused. Throughout all of this, my girls were able to uncover a few snippets of interesting looks--something that took me a little longer than usual, to translate into a few show-stopping looks.

Fashion Animal

We're always drawn to furry burly coats and jackets especially when there's an element of fun like the zebra on zebra total look of Martin Margiela's dress/coat ensemble or the chunky, clunky look of a sheepskin jacket over a sleek pair of slacks.

Making the fur jacket was pretty simple (front, back and sleeve). But to round out Kelly's look we decided to opt for an ankle length cashmere skirt instead of the trousers. And since we're talking about winter fashion, why not wrap the head in a scarf then toss a great big cashmere scarf over her shoulders.

Richard Quinn's ensemble is a bit curious. On the one hand, the polka dots suggest the perfect summer skirt. And yet...it's topped with a short, chubby fluffy, hooded jacket. In order for this to make sense to me and Veronica, we decided this should be translated into an evening look. So I cut a three-layered circle skirt (knee length instead of mid-calf). The skirt starts with a gathered tulle circle skirt, topped with a layer of sheer polka dots then ultimately topped with a circle of bejeweled tulle. The same bejeweled tulle was used to craft a matching pair of knee high boots. Instead of cutting a new jacket, we simply tossed a stole around her shoulders and topped her head with a bit of leftover faux fur.

A Leg-Up on Pants

Honestly, there isn't much which is new here. We really liked the chic, classic looks of each pant suit pictured here. What all of these looks have in common? Each one is nipped in at the waist in one fashion or another.

Ultimately Billie wanted something new. So she settled on a pantsuit with a curvy one-shouldered, princess line top over bell bottom pants. The panels of the top were stitched to the waist then allowed to flap free over the top of hips. The bell-bottoms are fitted to the knee then curve out into a full bell at the ankles.

Sweetheart Deal

This seems to be Richard Quinn's ode to the iconic French designer, Christian Lacroix. These are pretty little dresses with lots of volume and bounce in gathered skirts, lots of color, pattern and print. They are the kind ofgirly  dresses that look really good on any doll!

This could easily be something for late summer. Adriana's floral gathered skirt with its separate polka dotted blouse with a sweetheart neckline and circular bell sleeves still works well in cooler weather when accessorized with a fur toque and thigh high black leather boots.

Midday Stroll in Manchester

A return to insanely sane styles.... After the clownish looks, the mismatched, concept-based mayhem looks from past seasons, some designers have put the brakes on all the craziness by retreating to quiet, conservatism. A leather trench, a two-piece suit inspired by the early 1960's, everything is tame and quietly elegant, once again.

Initially, I thought this was a cape. It wasn't until I nearly finished it as a cape until I realized the original look by Erdem, is in reality....a dress. Still, Waris and I prefer it as a cape! What I like about this is how the designer took a fabric (pin striped lightweight wool) normally reserved for menswear and feminized it by adding very girly embellishments. Instead of crafting black roses, I simplified it by making bows out of black satin ribbon instead!. Instead of styling it as a dress, we thought the addition of tailored trousers resulted in a much more stunning look!

All Wrapped Up

There was something so interesting about each of these four looks. They are essentially suits with pants wide enough to give the impression of being a skirt. Also, each has some element of soft drapery that contrasts with the crispness of the rest of the structured garment. I also would like to point out my pleasure in seeing designers who, at last, have taken advantage of the rich tones of autumn!

I had planned to make the eggplant toned pantsuit, but did not have any fabric close to that color. And I ran out of time. So I sold Kym on the merits of this garment. At first I thought this was a gown. Only after I had completed a gown in oyster white faille, did I realize this garment was, indeed, pants! Draping the top is not as simple as it looks. By now you know that fabric almost never drapes over the doll the way it does on a human. So, I pleated by fabric and pressed down the pleats first...then draped it over the shoulders and tacked it down onto a simple top underneath.

We're not done just yet. Up ahead.....Milan. Given everything that is happening in Italy....both the human and economic toll... this may well be one of the last looks at Italian fashion for quite awhile.....

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