In a year that hasn’t played by the rules, it was no surprise that neither did London Fashion Week.

Starting Feb. 19, designers joined the digital space to showcase their new looks for the fall and winter. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the week was undoubtedly going to look different than years past. But many artists were inspired by the creative outlet the digital space offered.

London Fashion Week is known for being the most experimental of all the fashion weeks and features many up-and-coming designers. Despite this, London Fashion Week barely made an impact in mainstream media – which is surprising given the jaw-dropping and creative designs that filtered through the digital runways.

If you weren’t able to watch the shows, here are some of the biggest takeaways from this year’s week.

HITS:

Simone Rocha

If the past year could be described in clothing, it would be through Simone Rocha’s F/W 2021 looks.

The show was the perfect dichotomy of a pandemic-stricken year. Black leather dresses, jackets and tops reflect the dark days and months we have all lived through. Almost all the looks were paired with chunky military-style boots, a nod to the inner wars we have all felt, and the comfort we all preferred.

Despite the tough exterior, Rocha accessorized the looks with pearls – leaning into the romanticism of life that is to come with increased vaccine distribution.

Rocha’s collection was masculine yet feminine, tough yet sweet, and the juxtaposition was understandable. The collection took everything we have known about fashion rules, about what can be mixed together, and threw it out the window - because isn’t that what the past year has taught us in our own lives? But for Rocha, the risk paid off.

Duro Olowu

Stay-at-home orders caused many of us to put fashion on the backburner. But for Duro Olowu, the opposite was true. If your eyes haven’t been on fashion during the pandemic, they are now with his new collection.

The designer channeled origami shapes, rainbow colors, and layers of luscious and luxurious fabrics for the F/W 2021. There was not a blank space on any of the looks. Each of the dresses, jackets, skirts and overcoats were decorated to the absolute nines.

Looks with this much design and juxtaposing going on can easily become overwhelming and overpowered. Yet, Olowu’s looks are cohesive in their avant-garde nature. For example, the shades and tones of the colors match, creating an overall compelling look while simultaneously pulling your eyes in different directions. On paper, it could seem too busy. But on the digital runway, it simply worked.

A Collection Hit, but a Presentation Miss:

Maison Bent

As a Maison Bent fan, I am conflicted about their presentation this week. The collection was great, but the digital aspect of their show was less than stellar.

Actually, I absolutely LOVED the collection. The tailored yet relaxed fit of the suits, the refined, neutral, tasteful color palette all worked well. The looks even matched the sign of the times — an overt nod to dressing up but staying comfortable. It was cool and sleek and was simply perfect.

Unfortunately, the digital aspect of the collection didn’t work.

Instead of a show, the collection felt like a repurposed television commercial. There was a limited number of outfits shown and it was difficult to see the clothes because of the awkward posing of the models and the fisheye lens that was used.

I understand that a digital show is not ideal, and keeping the audience’s attention is extremely difficult when our lives are already completely virtual. Experimenting with new presentations is the only way to find what works in these times. But, as an audience member, struggling to see the clothes lent for an underwhelming show compared to other designers.

MISSES:

Molly Goddard

Too much, too soon. This one phrase describes Molly Goddard’s news collection. Simply put, the show was chaotic – and not in a good way.

Her looks were innovative and experimental, pulling in different textures of poofy skirts, tall boots and asymmetrical lines. But the pieces fell flat to the eye.

Not only did the collection miss the target, but so did the presentation. The show moved too quickly and the cameras were extremely distracting. In a need to appease a digital audience, it felt Goddard overcompensated by adding multiple angles and edits. With the camera angle changing every few moments, the audience was pulled out of the show, making it difficult to take in the full look before moving to the next.

Ultimately, amid the pandemic, Goddard took an experimental chance that failed in execution.

Overall, London Fashion Week gave us a taste of what fashion is to come as COVID-19 vaccine distribution increases. The theme? Experiment. Try new things. Live life (and your outfits) to the fullest, and wear what you want. Because as we have all seen, it could be taken away in the blink of an eye.