And just like that, we’re halfway through another fashion month. London Fashion Week officially closed on Monday, and the city’s biggest show, Burberry, wrapped things up before the style set jet off to Milan for the spring/summer 2027 tour’s penultimate stop. London Fashion Week is always one of the season’s shorter destinations, but its seamless blend of new talent and established names makes it impossible to skip.
This season was particularly exciting, thanks to the long-awaited return of McQueen. (The brand moved its shows from London to Paris back in 2001, with only a few one-off trips across the pond by former Creative Director Sarah Burton to present her spring/summer 2022 and spring/summer 2023 collections.) Naturally, London welcomed the brand, now under the creative direction of Seán McGirr, back with open arms. McGirr thanked the city by giving its locals a taste of the beloved house’s dramatic and high-art aesthetic. Equally exciting was Christopher Kane’s debut for Mulberry, another iconic brand from the UK. After shuttering his namesake brand three years ago, the British designer made a triumphant return to fashion, presenting a modern collection for the leather-goods brand from Somerset that had attendees talking and eyeing pieces to shop come spring 2027.
The intrigue continued throughout the four-day event, with unexpected trends like high-low hemlines and “accidentally” visible undergarments presenting themselves at Erdem and Simone Rocha, respectively. Sleek pencil skirts, interesting takes on stripes, and fringe accents also found their way onto the runway. At the end of the day, though, the biggest crowd-pleasers were the dramatic garments that graced the runway at Bora Aksu, Annie’s, and more. Quiet luxury is, in fact, dead, or at least, it is in London.
Top London Fashion Week Trends for Spring/Summer 2027
Pencil Straight
Pencil skirts aren’t exactly new to the fashion world, but each season, they get better—smarter, if you will. Kane introduced modern takes on the pencil-skirt suit in his Mulberry debut, and Annie’s took a Victorian approach, pairing an ivory embroidered pencil skirt with a matching corset-style jacket. At Mowalola, a sexier, less office-friendly route was taken by designer Mowalola Ogunlesi, who paired barely-there leather bras with matching low-rise pencil skirts.
The Drama
No, we’re not talking about the Zendaya and Robert Pattinson movie, though the collections this season in London were equally dramatic. Think voluminous shapes, unexpected design elements, and a general sense of whimsy and artistic expression. Erdem’s floor-length robes were decorated with feathers and rhinestone embroidery, and at Bora Aksu, modern paillettes were mixed with old crochet techniques and intricate lace, creating a hodgepodge of fabrications.
Seeing Stripes
Stripes aren’t the newest trend to hit the fashion circuit. In fact, they’re always around. Sometimes, their presence is stronger, and this was one such season when stripes felt impactful in a real way—not a side character unessential to the main plot. Talia Byre’s striped wrap dress felt especially cool and effortless, as did all the mismatched stripes at Burberry.
Slippage
The dresses at London Fashion Week all seemed to share one thing: an inability to stay on. Any dress with a thin strap was intentionally styled with one strap anywhere but where it technically belongs. As a result, undergarments were on display, and an emphasis on imperfection was noticeable throughout the shows.
On the Fringes
From extravagant dresses to subtle scarves, fringe found its way into every nook and cranny of London Fashion Week, adding a touch of formality and elegance to everything it touched. The best fringe comes attached to something crafted out of rich silk or velvet—just saying. Leather works too!
Seeking Texture
If you’re as excited about the feel of your clothes as you are about the look of them, then this season’s dedication to texture will be right up your alley. From shiny fabrics to beading to interesting takes on draping and crocheting, there was a little something for every tactile shopper at the London shows, with highlights appearing at McQueen, Mulberry, and Pauline Dujancourt.
High to Low
I’m usually pretty good at predicting trends, but I did not expect high-low hemlines to make a return ahead of 2027. Yet that’s exactly what happened on the runways of London Fashion Week, where asymmetry showed up at Toga, Erdem, and McQueen.
