Style File

Fashion month is on its second leg, the spotlight now shifted to London.

New York Fashion Week was a whirlwind and the fast-paced, survival-of-the-fittest mentality at the shows could be easily attributed to the city itself. Leandra Medine said it best on her world-famous blog, The Man Repeller:

“The energy of New York is inimitable, irreplaceable and indigenous only to a city where the fashion week orchestrators can schedule upward of three shows per hour, every hour, and not even so much as flinch at the thought that perhaps it’s somewhat overwhelming.”

This I can attest to. I spent last summer in New York City interning for a fashion publication, and while it was definitely nothing like “The Devil Wears Prada,” the relentless, inexhaustible energy Medine refers to was palpable. I felt it in the office and on the streets — shopping in the West Village and sitting in a subway car. It was everywhere. That New York attitude isn’t the crushing, overwhelming force people make it out to be — it doesn’t shrink you down to size. Instead, I find it inspiring. It’s a confidence boost, especially if you manage to find your way.

Now that she’s in London for London Fashion Week, Medine expertly compared the old city to New York in an similarly spot-on manner:  
“Like a true testament to British culture ... The chaos is elegantly and rather deeply organized. In New York, we’re headless chickens trying to conceal the absence of mind by way of beguiling headgear.”

It may sound generalized, especially considering the snapshots of “British life” we get here in America, i.e. Kate Middleton, Kate Middleton’s skirt suits, old fashioned black cabs and that regal accent. But after interning in London for two months in summer 2011, I have to admit that British brand of “elegance” is absolutely accurate, save for everyone being a member of the royal family. It was evident in the way Londoners spoke, the way they dressed and the way they carried themselves. Trying to adopt the British attitude and style is no easy feat.

The shows we’ve seen so far at LFW certainly provide at least a taste of what it’s really like to be so posh and “British.” At Mulberry, the vibe was clean and feminine, with a touch of whimsy in the form of blown-up check patterns, full sleeves, oversized knits and quirky skirt-over-pants ensembles. It all feels immediately, quintessentially London, especially with a darker color palette of black, burgundy and charcoal. It kind of hints at the somewhat gloomy, grey atmosphere London is while maintaining the city’s ladylike and “sophisticated” attitude.

It turns out London’s weather isn’t as much of a downer as we think (I experienced a particularly warm, sun-dappled summer), but the fashion really is endlessly chic. I’m looking forward to checking in on some of my favorite British designers — Christopher Kane, Peter Pilotto and Tom Ford — who always maintain a healthy dose of London spirit that only the best designers understand.

­— emfarra@indiana.edu