Ends and begins
On the one hand, stability at a label is powerful; on the other, fashion is nothing if not about change. A mood of flux was prevailing this year as big names parted ways with big brands. Sarah Burton, seen as a final direct tie to the never-forgotten late Lee Alexander McQueen, embraced her fiercest front-row supporters in a rare, final turn down the runway in Paris this September. Nearby Gabriela Hearst's runway en plein air - her last for Chloé – turned into a joyous, tear-filled party, and Tom Ford delivered his last self-authored collection in April with a proud, reflective line-up of his greatest archival hits before Peter Hawkings debuted for the now Estée Lauder-owned label. We ushered in the replacement era for Alessandro Michele's nostalgia-laden Gucci (and whose elaborate pieces will remain precious treasures in our wardrobes), with Neapolitan Sabato De Sarno's high-gloss take on the Italian house (Tom Ford might have left his post, but his influence remains strong). Elsewhere the loss of icons Vivienne Westwood, Manfred Thierry Mugler and Jane Birkin added to the reflective mood of closed chapters and legacies.
Newness, though, is still closely watched and craved. Take the hot ticket in London right now: Burberry's second runway outing by Daniel Lee, who
