LONDON FASHION WEEK: EUN JEONG, THE RODNIK BAND, KRYSTOF STROZINA

Eun Jeong

She’s known for winning Fashion Fringe 2008, creating generous structures based on draping, and silhouettes full of movement. Women in her clothes don’t walk, they swing. Luckily, not much new there for the new season, bar new ways of draping and structuring. But what instantly strikes you about this collection is that it takes on quite a few current trends worth exploring (I certainly call peterpan collars, colour blocks, cape details, lace, deconstruction or asymmetry, layering, art deco and other optical stunts trends), and offers the designer’s own view on these – a sign of truly growing confidence. The result is more accessible and, at least to me, more fun than ever before. A rich, creamy, flowy, simple and intricate, pared-back and colourful collection, brimming with little tricks and secrets you want to spend the season discovering.

runway stills: vogue.co.uk

The Rodnik Band

A capsule collection of pieces within the realm of surreal, naive, satirical, but one hundred percent wearable. Quite a shortcut, if you ask me, to cult status, as you won’t likely forget a urinal dress, a cigarette maxi or a tomato soup can, once you’ve seen them on a girl. The looks – well, dresses and twinsets with classic abstract (in the style of Mondrian), Dada (Marcel Duchamp) and pop art (Warhol) touches, 1950s comics and ads, lobsters, telephone dials, polka dots, colour blocks and sharp contrasts - say it all, and quite loudly so. And, for the fashion week presentation, the theme continued on the make-up, with cartoon teardrops hanging in the corners of models’ eyes. The work of Phil Colbert is alive and kicking butt. Pop on one of his dresses and jump right inside his world, or head to The Rodnik Band’s fun and artsy website for a Picasso-inspired spring/summer appetizer first.

runway stills: elleuk.com

Krystof Strozyna

What happens when you hark back to the 1980s and get it right? You may well end up with a collection with loads of bodycon elements, zips, colour and black, that’s actually sleeek, futuristic, tough and ladylike. For seasoning, Krystof offers a bit of extra of everything: more futurism in silver fabrics and cuffs, more colour in laser prints and colour blocking, more toughness in leggings and cuffs, and more ladylike in blouses and chiffon details. My favourites are the seemingly plain-cut shift dresses, with or without print, with or without leggings. They channel all the power and hedonism, but they are no prisoners of an era, just exquisite, with real character.

runway stills: vogue.co.uk