London Fashion Week day four: A trip back to school with history, politics and science

Erdem kickstarted the day with an extremely visual show that required no ornate set dressing. His inspiration this season was a personal one for the designer imagined an “improbable meeting” between his Scottish and Turkish grandmothers.

Remaining vigilant, Erdem stayed well away from Middle Eastern stereotypes. Instead, he delicately embroidered Turkish patterns onto military jackets and printed opulent designs across long velvet dresses. English florals were mixed with Ottoman necklines in a fabric-heavy show that proved texture is everything.

Faux fur brand Shrimps continues to rise, updating its usually saturated coats into icy designs fit for a snow day. Fluffy white and nude coats contrasted with tartan pieces. Cruella de Vil made a return in a luxe dalmatian coat while leopard print appeared on both jackets and furry shoes.

Christopher Kane looked to the abyss for his AW17 collection. Always flitting between ideas, the designer put spontaneity at the forefront, choosing a variety of knits and sheerer fabrics to dress his girls.

Prim and proper women started the show in pared-back florals with murky brown jumpers. Swiftly moving into a more futuristic feel, spaceship prints and silvery designs turned Kane’s models into something else entirely.

Sci-fi wasn’t the mood of the day. Rather, Kane felt these oil-slick ensembles were “grimy and dirty”; something that especially felt true with a green deconstructed cardigan that appeared to have been wildly torn.

Moving onto Ashish and his ever-present sequins. Although his designs are inherently tongue-in-cheek, the designer did what many others at London Fashion Week had been afraid to.

Speaking directly to Donald Trump, Ashish displayed a demonstration of equality that showed immense support for all races, the LGBTQ community and American people themselves. Rainbow stripes met baseball uniforms and jock-style jackets while a number of positive (and sometimes humorous) slogans were plastered across tees and sweatshirts.

“Love sees no colour” was probably the most hard-hitting. Other strong lines said “unity in adversity”, “why be blue when you can be gay?” and “stay woke.” Overall, a monumental collection whose message should be emulated.

Burberry topped off the day with its second see now, buy now collection. Sending out a similarly textured collection to Erdem’s, Christopher Bailey recreated the Tudor period with huge white ruffs appearing on both men and women.

Feathers and chainmail provided contrasting vibes with the tougher designs proving to be the most striking. Sailor inspiration also hit as flashes of blue walked in front of rope-detailed ensembles.

The finale featured over 70 versions of mini capes; most white, a lot completely unwearable. With the more commercial pieces already available to buy, we’ll have to see if Burberry’s decadent strategy pays off.

Live from London Fashion Week AW17: All the catwalk and FROW action

From catwalk to checkout: Shop Burberry’s AW17 ‘see now, buy now’ collection immediately with our edit