Category Fashion
Published February 26, 2025
Sarah Dupont, by Thomas Gainsborough
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Against the landscape of a cautious economic recovery, designers are turning to a distinctly British frugality. This season, luxury continues to be a rare guilty pleasure on the runway, one mostly to be courted and consumed inconspicuously.
The conventional dictates of unapologetic sartorial opulence fragmented—or rather, shattered—in 2008. 17 years later, we’re seeing that return. As fashion is a sign of the times, a mirror to society, a snapshot of the zeitgeist and wider societal mood, what does that say about where we are in Britain today?
London Fashion Week’s AW25 offerings have exhibited a return to practicality, both in cloth and silhouette choice. Iterations in denim, cotton, gabardine and other historically modest fabrics have been prevalent. A no-frills approach, truly. Whether it be Olly Shinder’s nursing uniform-inspired panelled dresses or SRVC’s re-imagined military knits and power suiting, there is an undeniable focus on wearability and utilitarianism.
The often-contested Hemline Index, as proposed in the 1920s, states that skirt lengths reflect the economy: as they prosper, skirts shorten. As they suffer, skirts lengthen. Granted, we are currently viewing Autumn/Winter collections, but skirts are unexpectedly and overwhelmingly conservative. This is a mirror to our current societal reservedness. Our now-cemented sweetheart of London fashion, SS Daley, offered long flowing silhouettes inspired by a celebration of what it means to be British.
A lot could be said for the return to British heritage this season. With Daley’s heritage check through-line, Paul Costelloe’s nod to British equestrianism, and Burberry’s actual knight in shining armour sitting front row. Revisiting the familiar may be indicative of a return to traditional values and a trip into nostalgia – a collective need for grounding in turbulence. Let it be known, I’m all for an exponential increase in tartans and tailoring – but the reasoning for a rise in this is worrisome.
Fashion East (Olly Shinder) AW24, Look 36. Image courtesy of Vogue Runway
A continuation of workwear and office-wear aesthetics is also telling of the times. Whether it be of Roksanda’s oversized creation, or Denzil Patrick’s reinvention – suiting is on the up. In this time of economic uncertainty, we are obsessed with work and financial security. (Of course, we are, what with British job vacancies decreasing for the 31st consecutive quarterly decline).
With this, colours are dulling. Fashion East’s entire showing was almost entirely devoid. (I write without prejudice, as someone who dresses in nigh-on entirely muddy palettes). King of British glamour, Richard Quinn, blunted his use of florals, instead opting for more blacks, whites & creams. Conner Ives, dresser of it-girls everywhere, presented looks in predominantly uncharacteristic blacks. When I noted this departure from colour in even the frows, with influencers and editors alike adopting more muted tones than usual, I grew concerned. Then again, it’s an apt mode of dress in a world that’s burning.
Even when brands do embrace luxury, they exhibit restraint. We’re seeing clothes with less adornment, foregoing intricacies and replacing them with modesty. Simone Rocha presented a more pared-back collection on Sunday afternoon, with hardly an embellishment in sight. The collection was largely comprised of harsh blacks, dark navy blues, natural greens and brown furs. We also saw her working in denim – quite the departure from her usual glamorous tulle and silk-based wheelhouse. On Monday morning, Ashish offered a glamorous end-of-day social commentary with a show titled ‘Crisis of Confidence’. “It is impossible not to reflect the uncertainties a lot of us are feeling, the chaos of our times”, he remarked to British Vogue. Through his signature sequinned attire, we can see a state of panic.
Burberry Knight. Image courtesy of WWD/Getty
The show landscape has been changing to reflect the times, too. A once-brimming official schedule has now been reduced, with brands choosing to show off-schedule, explore alternative formats, or sit it out entirely. Speaking to British Vogue, Charlotte Knowles of Knwls said, “We’ve decided not to produce a show this season because the market is very uncertain right now, with everything happening in the world”. Who can blame them? With several global conflicts, a country on the tail-end of an economic crisis, and a political system that can’t sit still, fashion may rightly fall by the wayside. (In times like this, the mantra of a great fashion friend rings especially true, “we’re not saving lives”). A myriad of other much-anticipated fixtures are also missing, including JW Anderson, Karoline Vitto and Molly Goddard. Their loss is felt deeply – with Anderson & Goddard having become anchor points of the British season. Both brands have reserved from commenting on their absence. 16Arlington, Nensi Dojaka, Ahluwalia & other hotly-anticipated British staples are also notably missing. With on-schedule shows costing a minimum of £60,000, according to Vogue Business, it’s hardly a surprise. Conner Ives, Chopova Lowena & Dilara Findikoglu, amongst others, have committed to now showing annually. Whether this be a financial or sustainable decision – we don’t know. Whatever their motives, it’s commendable to shake off expectations amidst demand from buyers.
Simone Rocha AW25. Image courtesy of Simone Rocha
As of right now, we’ve skipped the roaring twenties and have dived head-first into the Depression Era thirties. I want a return to pre-2020 glamour. The frivolity, whimsy, jollity. Fashion has the ability to transform us into an expression of possibility and provide us with a temporary reprieve from the mundane – perhaps selfishly, I want this in abundance. In an economy marred by hardship, we need allowance to transcend the constraints of our daily lives.
There is, of course, an argument to be made for fashion mirroring the times we’re living in – or rather – enduring. Perhaps clothes should be borne out of the need for response to the collective experience. But what should fashion be, if not escapism, if not fantasy? Decidedly, we need refraction, not reflection. As Nietzsche put so well, “We have art in order to not die from truth”.
