London Fashion Week kicked off with the Korean-born designer J. JS Lee’s show. And what a lovely start of the season it was. The light came on to the sound of a relaxed music that was slowly becoming more upbeat as the models with black pixie haircut wigs and striking red lipstick strolled down the runway either in flats with a chunky sole or delicate high-heeled sandals.
The designer had a very nostalgic source of inspiration this time – her childhood. As Lee was always a tomboy herself, her designs balance both aspects of masculinity and femininity, also reflected in the texture-layering of hard and soft fabrics. Refined tailoring is the Central Saint Martins graduate’s trademark and this season was no different with menswear-inspired coats, suits, structured skirts and statuesque-looking dresses combined with knitwear pieces present in the collection.
The colour palette was kept rather minimal, including hues of grey, black and ivory with occasional splashes of yellow and pink, Lee’s favourites as a child. The whole focus was therefore put on the details – Mongolian fur used on clutches, shoes, collars or on garments as an embellishment, gathered pleats creating unexpected silhouettes, trousers with intricate folding, asymmetrical shapes or contrasting elastic stitch detail often acting as the only pop of colour and giving the clothes an unfinished touch.
by Sara Hesikova
Images courtesy of MODUS Publicity