LONDON

There was a sense of curiosity and expectation on the London catwalks for the first shows since the Brexit vote. It was legitimate to wonder what influence it would have on fashion, not only considering the market but also the ideas presented by brands after such a shock. It’s well-known that the majority of Londoners voted to remain, as almost all of the designers will doubtless have done too, well aware, in which the UK capital has always specialised. Within this framework, some designers chose to take refuge in a tried and tested . This is what J.W.Anderson did, drawing inspiration from Henry VIII, his famed split from Rome to form the Anglican Church making him a forerunner of Brexit in a certain sense. The designer picked out Tudor elements such as and and puffed them up into sausages, or dresses with and a hint of or else jackets and shirts with elaborate Henry-style sleeves featuring and . But Anderson was not the only one harking back to that period, with its rounded in shirts and outerwear, running from collars and necklines down to the legs, and an abundance of . Burberry’s shirts and jackets resembling were immersed in Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, which even influenced the . In this climate, there were no significant breaks with but plenty of references, as designers preferred to look far , perhaps neglecting , born in London exactly 40 years ago. Nevertheless, the latter was glimpsed here and there, as in Versus’ or Christopher Kane’s . The body tended to be concealed and covered with , transparencies were practically banned and the women were a little more chaste, even strips of fabric as though to ensure their clothes did not suddenly come undone. Even Julien Macdonald, who always designs a very sexy woman, toned down the game of this time: his clothes revealed and used to soften the approach, resorting to colours to light up the night. There was little transgression in general and the city’s signature irreverence was more conceptual. As for Gareth Pugh who used the runway as a stage for solemn figures in black and or wrapped in impalpable purple or fitted in , showcasing his vision of a decadent (Roman in this case)Empire. Looking at these collections, it was almost as if, when faced with the threat of an uncertain future, designers chose to respond with the beauty of . Clothes were covered with and , , which were printed or embroidered, stylised or faithfully reproduced. Even the lines were rigorous, especially in , in , in the traditional and and Prince of Wales. Mary Katrantzou’s had more rhythm as she dipped into her native country by filling rather body-conscious dresses with , and . There were no real surprises in this climate, which seemed to prefer clothing, but no less chic for all that. The Brexit woman wears , does not turn her nose up at a , protects herself against the English rain with , prefers skirts to trousers, but seems to have fallen out of love with the mini-skirt, notwithstanding Mary Quant. Now that the leave side has won, she is getting comfortable to wait and see what the future holds. As she waits, she wears a pair of Crocs festooned with jewels – a bit of madness that might just become a revolution.