The best of fashion month so far

And so to Paris
Jacqumes took us to a little town in the South of France, where bright dresses, relaxed shapes and microscopic bags reigned supreme.



Neon and trance at Saint Laurent
The close of the Saint Laurent show – after a series of deep cleavages and low cuts – saw the lights turned off, to reveal the glowing neon material of many of the clothes and their matching sunglasses.



Kenzo's dance party
Inspired by Kenzo Takada’s 1992 men’s show of hyperrealistic red and yellow tomatoes, the collection danced around the runway at the will of creative directors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon. At the end, the audience got up to shake a leg, too.



From street-wear to the red carpet
Kendall Jenner, Karlie Kloss, Adut Akech and the Hadid sisters were just a few of Abloh's sirens to walk down Off-White's checkerboard runway in the label's debut ballgowns.


Gucci's masquerade ball
From crystal fringing to latex super-hero masks, headpieces ruled at Gucci AW19. It's Alessandro Michele's world, and we're just living in it.



Puffer evening gowns
A series of padded, full-skirted, floor-length puffer gowns dreamt up by Valentino designer Pierpaolo Piccioli floated through Moncler's AW19 collection.



Karl's final farewell at Fendi
Silvia Venturini and Karl Lagerfeld's final collaboration for Fendi was an airy mix of femininity, elegance and sex. Trenches and leather offset by pussybows and tulle.



Shrimps' Gods and Goddesses
Shrimps debuted its first full catwalk collection, inspired by Ancient Greece, in London. The colourful show was a melodrama of macramé, shells, pearl and colour, all staged before a giant watercolour back drop painted by Ryan Driscoll.



Fetish fashion
Christopher Kane played with the concept of fetish at his eponymous label's AW19 collection. He explored the sexual fetishists known as ‘looners’, ‘rubberists’ and ‘sploshers’ – people who are turned on by balloons, rubber, and the smearing of food and drink, and left us asking if 'kink' is the new sex.




Bigger the better
From belts to silhouettes, Jonathan Anderson opted for super-size this season. Could this cue the return of the chunky belt into the wardrobes of 2019's street style stars? Perhaps.



Romance at Roksanda
Victoriana lace, bows, technicolour trenches, lemon and pink pastel... All the trappings of new-age romance showed up at the Roksanda show.


A tale of four cities
London's multiple personalities was at the heart of Burberry AW19, as Riccardo Tisci dressed four distinct characters for his second collection for the brand in a clash of streetwear and soignée, with looks for men and women. Taking over the tanks at Tate Modern, the show venue was divided in two, with some guests seated in a genteel theatre-space, while others were in an industrial structure which was clambered across by the young Londoners from whom Tisci draws inspiration.





Take note
Part catwalk show-part protest, with models delivering evocative political statements and speeches – including #metoo activist Rose McGowan? It must be a Vivienne Westwood show. For the finale, Dame Viv herself took to the runway in song, before joining her protesting models on the picket line. As for the clothes, the usual Westwood magic was woven over disheveled tartan and tailoring.





New horizons
Sitting front row were clan Beckham, including Harper – whose new bobbed hairdo resembled that of her FROW neighbour Anna Wintour. But don't let the paparazzi pictures (or the photoshopped memes) make you miss the point – the clothes at Victoria Beckham were very, very good.





Frock stars
Supermodel Natalia Vodianova opened (and stole) the Mary Katrantzou show in a canary yellow confection, her soulful blue eyes just peeking over the ruffles and feathers. The colour-saturated collection combined ombre stripes, juicy shades and cosmic prints in Katrantzou's signature exuberant style.





Gilding the lily
There have been some serious casting coups so far this season, many of which walked the catwalk for Simone Rocha – including veteran model Kirsten Owen, a platinum blonde Lily Cole and cult actress Chloe Sevigny who looked like she was born to wear Rocha's beautiful designs.




Pump up the volume
Power dressing took on new meaning on Saturday, as Molly Goddard staged her show in the elegant splendour of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The designer has built a following for her full-on frocks (notably favoured by Villanelle, everyone's favourite antihero in BBC's Killing Eve) but she pushed them even further for her fuchsia finale.





Americana with an edge
There was a distinctly dark twist to Alexa Chung's collection for AW19, with a Victorian edge courtesy of black velvet trimmed with white lace, boxy shoulders and cinched in waists. More recent history was mined too, with patchwork knits, prairie prints and ruffles serving serious Seventies Americana vibes that were comforting, compelling and just right for now.






Stealing the spotlight
You know you're in the presence of a serious supermodel when they can steal the show with a completely bare face. Thus was the power of Christy Turlington who paused her 25 year long retirement from the catwalk in order to close Marc Jacobs' show in a dramatic black feathered gown and witchy boots.





A Love in
Batsheva Hay dedicated her AW19 collection to Courtney Love, who just happened to be sat next to the designer at the brand's presentation. Models, including Christina Ricci, channeled the Hole front-woman, performing their lyrics as part of her duties. Proving the love went both ways, Love had adorned the finale dress in lyrics in red Sharpie.





Works of art
Designers Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim are finding their stride at Oscar de la Renta, with a seriously sophisticated AW19 collection. A heady dose of opulence came courtesy of brocade, fur and velvet in a punchy, spice trail palette punctuated by tailoring fabrics.



c: Jason Lloyd Evans


Layer cake
As every modern woman knows, mastering layering is the secret to dressing well for the multiple lives we all lead. And so to Rachel Comey where layered outerwear and accessories provided the sort of styling inspiration we need to get dressed at a time of year when blue skies and sunshine are far too fleeting, and a rain shower is never more than a day away.






A dazzling debut
Could this be the most illustrious NYFW debut in recent history? Tomo Koizumi held his first ever show in Marc Jacobs' store while the audience held their breath. Styled by Katie Grand and starring some of her favourite models and friends – including the statuesque queen Gwendoline Christie – the undulating tulle in shades of sherbet were the icing on this very big slice of cake.






Cafe society
Ralph Lauren staged the grandest breakfast we've seen in a while, showcasing his Spring 19 collection in his new namesake cafe on Madison Avenue. Mega-watt models in gold and monochrome showcased gilded gowns, tailoring and sportswear as they glided down the spiral staircase before circulating among the assembled guests.




History repeated
Much is made of designers mining the archives these days, but Tom Ford put his own spin on the practice when he referenced his fashion-defining stint at Gucci in the Nineties. Twenty years later the pieces looked just right – sex still sells it seems, in the capable hands of Mr Ford.





Devestating Deveaux
Spend over a decade of your life capturing the great and the good outside of fashion shows and you're going to end up with a few ideas about what works and what doesn't. According to Tommy Ton – creative director of Deveaux and one of the original street style snappers – mannish tailoring, a neutral palette and softly swaddling textures work. We happen to agree.