By Canadian Press

London Fashion Week gears up for big shows

Sep 14, 2019 | 5:04 AM

LONDON — Fashion aficionados basked in strong late summer sunlight Saturday as runway shows and presentations picked up speed at London Fashion Week.

Model and TV presenter Alexa Chung showed some of her latest creations in a show followed by an earnest discussion on “body positivity” in an adjoining room. The fashion seminars featuring industry movers and shakers are part of a new British Fashion Council drive to increase public participation in fashion week.

Later shows are to feature Molly Goddard, the hats of master milliner Stephen Jones, and House of Holland. A main event will be model Naomi Campbell’s Fashion for Relief gala at the British Museum.

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An early start couldn’t deter Alexa Chung’s legions of loyal fans, who flocked to her Saturday morning show featuring many of her newest outfits offering variations on her classic feminine themes.

Chung greeted fans with a video message featuring a montage of what she described as “AC World.” She described the new works as “clothes to feel empowered in” with a theme of “female solidarity” and said they were designed to “get over heartbreak.”

The TV personality also offered a pep talk to her mostly youthful audience: “Enjoy life, kids,” she said. “It’s great.”

The collection featured a number of longer coats, including belted variations of the classic trend, some worn over slip dresses or beautifully constructed longer dresses. The colours were muted, with many variations of green and gray, and Chung paid homage to the American west with a denim dress that seemed to conjure up open skies and endless vistas.

There was a well-tailored double-breasted suit, but no sign of Dynasty-style shoulder pads or power-dressing, and some 60s-style jumpsuits. Chung doesn’t do flash, but she couldn’t resist a few faux-snakeskin pieces.

Chung’s style is not fussy or overdone, with models wearing mostly light makeup and flowing hairstyles. The emphasis is on a simple, easy look, elegant and fun.

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MARTA JAKUBOWSKI EVOKES MARLENE DIETRICH

A London-based designer who is gaining prominence on the fashion scene, Marta Jakubowski, born in Poland and raised in Germany, has brought her minimalist esthetic to the runways of the British capital.

She said her spring and summer 2020 collection, shown Friday night, was inspired in part by film star Marlene Dietrich and seeks to combine the codes of power dressing from various eras.

The designs were asymmetric and relied heavily on a light colour palette, with many shades of blue and lavender. A long black dress with a white choker was particularly dramatic, as was an off-the-shoulder black ensemble.

The look was deceptively simple, without a riot of colour or discordant prints. Some outfits featured high-waisted trousers, and others were eye-catching in pure white and elegant draping.

Gregory Katz, The Associated Press