What does femininity mean? As a cultural analyst I’ve always found fashion’s answer to this question fascinating in its (re)production of anesthetized realities with this year’s London Fashion Week being no different. There is a pattern, or trend if you will, to be found by detangling what femininity means for each brand.
In this spirit, inspired by Pitchfork’s “The Best Music of 2025 So Far” I chose a series of smaller (and larger) London Fashion Week brands that got my attention, in addition to a few from Paris Fashion Week. I attempted to capture their essence through art, people, food, objects, pop culture, and parallel experiences. By way of this exercise I hope to get your fantasy firing and bring you the feminine world building these brands propose to us, as well as an expectation of what to expect from the fashion world in the upcoming seasons, maybe giving you a spark to rediscover your closet.
August Barron: 50’s housewife on pastel psychosis; PB & J, with the crust, on wholewheat bread; Hole – Pretty on the Inside (lyrics); Juno Clypso’s Honeymoon photo series; role playing; @maligoshik; Madeleine Berkhemer – “Garden of Delight” or “Leg show” artworks; 5-year-old going to preschool in stepmother’s clothes; ironic femme gender markers
Predictions: (neon) pastels; tule; cardigans; chiffon; dolls; plastic and toys for jewellery; lace and negligees peeking out of ‘outdoor’ clothing; incorrectly wearing clothes; pointy heels
YSL: Rococo- Italo Disco; Robert Mapplethorpe; Poor Things (2023); opulent whimsigoth; yearning; Enya – Caribbean Blue; Lions, Love (…and Lies) directed by Agnes Varda; Blue Velvet directed by David Lynch; latex exhibitionism; Julia Fox’s ‘Down the Drain’ book chapters 6-8 (on her being a dominatrix).
Predictions: power dressing padded leather; 80s revival; skims faux hair thong (or just straight up shamelessly bushing it)
Ashley Williams: gender reveal party; Silly Bandz; kawaii decoden phone cases; Honey Boo-Boo child (from toddlers and tiaras); Polly Pocket; dollar stores; coloured braces; Melanie Martinez’s Cry Baby album; cotton candy; Fruits Magazine (in the 80s)
Predictions: exaggerating defects and imperfections as accessories e.g. pimple stickers that draw attention; jewellery that isn’t meant to be worn as such; wigs
Sinead Gorey: Glastonbury festival; Ibiza themed ash tray with chewed up pink bubble gum and vogue cigarette butts; London; DVDs; Kate Moss advertising coke (coca cola); re-using gift bags; Kesha in the bathtub in Tik Tok music video; paying with coins; Junk food; Amy Winehouse’s beat-up flats; Charli XCX’s ‘gay rights’ video
Predictions: return of the 90s renaissance revival; flags in fashion; fringes (on hair, shoes, bags and coats); graphic t-shirts; military or marching band jackets with buttons down the middle.
Lucila Safdie: Neapolitan ice cream sandwich; Hard cover books; MUBI watchlists; Beatniks; Hubba Bubba; the Nymphet alumni podcast; iced oat milk matcha with strawberry puree; Virgin suicides (1999); Kinderwhore (but not as messy as Courtney Love); Björn Andresen; box dye; Chloe Sevigny on set for Gummo (1997) in hair rollers and white cat sweater
Predictions: neon, pink specifically, combined with blacks and greys; incorporating hair as an accessory itself; lace; MASSIVE pearls; mary janes; less is more
Jenny Fax: Kellogg’s corn flakes; kaomoji; Lotta Volkova; IKEA x Gustaf Westman;Marc Jacobs – Daisy Love; pastelini stationery; FKA Twigs – Eusexua music video; Twiggy Lawson; soft as powder; frozen yoghurt; #coquette; intrusive thoughts
Predictions: the versatility of socks; neon colours; costume dressing; pinks, chiffon, silks, frills, and neon are all coming together to create a new visual language that signifies a “childlike femininity and subtle unease.”; acrylic nails; toddler dressing
Julie Kegels: The substance – specifically Demi Moore’s character @ her peak after taking the substance; Arial font; Rosalia’s Berghain music video; My year of rest and relaxation book; goodreads reviews; DM store; the old silver ipod; violent hangovers; walk of shame
Predictions: notice the sequins gathered in the ‘pockets’ of the dress. Not in glitzy glamour way but “waking up on random sidewalk after blackout drunk night in ruined rented sequin designer dress, but still looks good” way. Or wearing it down till the sequins clump into one, like in old duvets or puffer jackets.
Colour predictions – mint, pink and muted ‘boring’ color combinations;
Conner Ives: Alex Consani for Teen Vogue cover ’24; rosehip oil; pink sugar free Redbull; digicams at the afters; scented glitter gel pens; Smerz – Allina album; Charlotte from Lost in translation; silk bedsheets; whatever the word ‘chic’ means
Predictions: sequins; toeless socks; feather boas; the after afters
Vaquera: Louboutin fetish heels (but fuchsia); Saltburn (2023); PJ Harvey’s pink catsuit outfit for Glastonbury festival in ’95; PETA crashing Dior FW2003 runway; the OG what’s in my bag videos before Vogue took over; Addison Rae criticised for how she sings on stage; Vile Bodies – Evelyn Waugh
Predictions: glamorous vintage hats; visible intimacies (underwear and bags); no-makeup makeup with pale eyes
To summarise
Liberate your inner child. Let it run free through your closet, because this season is all about being your unapologetic self in the ordinariness of life. Take inspiration from your local toddlers. If you want to wear a tutu, this is the perfect season to use fashion as an excuse to be a ballet princess for the day 🙂 Corporate girlies – fashion is telling you to spill your coffee on your white silk blouse. It’s fashionable to be messy and vulnerable. Twirl your hair in your Hello Kitty pencil and flip off that sexist man on the street. This year’s fashion picks deconstruct and reconstruct stereotypical gender markers, transforming them into power wear.
Trend tips – for less experimental people
Don’t be afraid to share the contents of your bag. Wear colourful hair clips and whip out your old kitschy 2010 big necklaces (extra points if they’re pearl or neon-coloured). Suede or tailored leather jackets with a touch of lace have come together to bring out the chic power femme in you. You can think about spicing up your closet with fuchsia socks, a bag, or an umbrella. If you’re not that committed, think about a fuchsia phone case, nails, or a keychain.
