No.1: Colour

Images/IMAXtree

London fall/winter 2017/18 collections could easily be taken to be “buy now/wear now” spring designs. (And, indeed, some of them were, notably Burberry) Designers simply ignored traditional seasonal colour delivery cut-off dates and continued to show whites and pales for winter with a heavy dose of bright highlight shades as well.

That said, there was no shortage of core autumn neutrals, which, besides black, focused on the grey/taupe colour spectrum. Winter pale sky, blush and mauve tones played beautifully off those neutrals. Anything in the navy/blue and red colour palettes maintained a strong presence. Olive shades veered towards brown casts. Squash, pumpkin and winter green made a nice fall bright statement.

In sum, colour set the pace in creating exciting collections with youth appeal in London.