London Fashion Week has reached its giddy conclusion, the extravaganza more than meeting expectations with a string of shows, parties and presentations.
The theme seemed to be a frenzied search for fun and whimsy, a shade less serious and complicated than usual as designers looked forward to next spring and summer.
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London Fashion Week has reached its giddy conclusion, the extravaganza more than meeting expectations with a string of shows, parties and presentations.
There were big shows by Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Versace, and more, and more intimate affairs by the up-and-coming designers London depends on for its fashion cred.
TOMMY HILFIGER, GIGI HADID PAY HOMAGE TO ROCK MUSIC
The Tuesday show was presented at London's legendary Roundhouse, where stars such as James Brown and Bob Dylan have performed over the years.
The outfits included leather jackets with leopard print collars, worn with cropped denim shorts and beanie hats emblazoned with "Gigi Hadid" — a homage to band merchandise and an appeal to the model's vast fan base.
Patterns were checks or stripes, and oversize puffer jackets were worn open.
VICTORIA BECKHAM GIVES GLIMPSE OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA BECKHAM
The saturated pop colors included "milkshake pink," ''bubblegum" and "peppermint." One tan suede outfit of short-short pants and a patch pocket jacket caught the eye, as did some pajama-style slouchy outfits.
A model wears a creation by designer Tommy Hilfiger at the Spring/Summer 2018 runway show in London, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
There were big shows by Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Versace, and more, and more intimate affairs by the up-and-coming designers London depends on for its fashion cred.
The first day was marred when a subway train was attacked on the outskirts of London, raising fears of more attacks, but the fashionistas stayed calm and partied on.
Model Gigi Hadid wears a creation by designer Tommy Hilfiger at the Spring/Summer 2018 runway show in London, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
TOMMY HILFIGER, GIGI HADID PAY HOMAGE TO ROCK MUSIC
Designer Tommy Hilfiger and model Gigi Hadid staged a grungy rock affair for their show on the final night of London Fashion Week.
It was the pair's third collaboration and featured early appearances by Hadid's siblings, Bella and Anwar.
Model Gigi Hadid wears a creation by designer Tommy Hilfiger at the Spring/Summer 2018 runway show in London, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
The Tuesday show was presented at London's legendary Roundhouse, where stars such as James Brown and Bob Dylan have performed over the years.
Concert-style merchandise stalls had pieces from the TOMMYNOW collection available to purchase around the venue.
A model wears a creation by designer Tommy Hilfiger at the Spring/Summer 2018 runway show in London, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
The outfits included leather jackets with leopard print collars, worn with cropped denim shorts and beanie hats emblazoned with "Gigi Hadid" — a homage to band merchandise and an appeal to the model's vast fan base.
Models also wore lanyards mimicking backstage passes printed with "Gigi" and cropped T-shirts also bearing the model's name.
A model wears a creation by designer Tommy Hilfiger at the Spring/Summer 2018 runway show in London, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Patterns were checks or stripes, and oversize puffer jackets were worn open.
Hadid said she was happy the show was such a family affair.
"It is obviously a huge event, and I put a lot of pressure on myself as I'm a perfectionist, so to be able to look around and see my family is very grounding and keeps me calm," she said.
A model wears a creation by designer Tommy Hilfiger at the Spring/Summer 2018 runway show in London, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
VICTORIA BECKHAM GIVES GLIMPSE OF VICTORIA, VICTORIA BECKHAM
Victoria Beckham didn't have a runway show at London Fashion Week, but she showed the spring and summer 2018 collection for her popular Victoria, Victoria Beckham line to journalists and guests at a private club in Mayfair.
The former Spice Girl, whose New York show won accolades last week, is offering a youthful look. Some of the clothes celebrated Miami and its neon colors, including a jacket with pink flamingo designs.
A model walks the runway during the Victoria Beckham Spring/Summer 2018 fashion show during New York Fashion Week, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
The saturated pop colors included "milkshake pink," ''bubblegum" and "peppermint." One tan suede outfit of short-short pants and a patch pocket jacket caught the eye, as did some pajama-style slouchy outfits.
The look was relaxed and meant for fun, a far cry from the black that was once Beckham's signature color. She's emphasizing pastels now — at least for summer — and suits made of pinstriped cotton twill.
Victoria Beckham, center, watches the rehearsal of her Spring/Summer 2018 fashion show during New York Fashion Week, Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
It's been quite a year for Beckham, who in April was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
LONDON (AP) — Sadiq Khan, the Labour Party's mayor of London, romped to victory Saturday, securing a record third straight term at City Hall, on another hugely disappointing day for the U.K.'s governing Conservatives ahead of a looming general election.
Khan won a little over a million votes, or nearly 44% of the vote, more than 11 percentage points ahead of his main challenger, the Conservative Party's Susan Hall. His is the biggest individual mandate of any politician in the U.K.
There had been frenzied speculation on Friday that the result would be closer than previously thought, but Khan's victory showed a swing from Conservative to Labour when compared with the previous mayoral election in 2021, even though that was conducted under a different electoral system.
Khan, who replaced Boris Johnson as London mayor in 2016 and who has widespread policing and budget powers, has been an increasingly divisive figure in the past few years regardless of the facts for or against, particularly in the suburbs, where he fared worse than in the inner city.
His supporters say he has multiple achievements to his name, such as expanding housebuilding, free school meals for young children, keeping transport costs in check and generally backing London’s minority groups. His critics say he has overseen a crime surge, been anti-car and has unnecessarily allowed pro-Palestinian marches to become a regular feature at weekends.
“We faced a campaign of non-stop negativity, but I couldn’t be more proud that we answered the fearmongering with facts, hate with hope, and attempts to divide with efforts to unite,” Khan said at the declaration of the final result. Among the candidates standing behind him was Count Binface, his head covered by a garbage can, a regular colorful presence in British elections.
“We ran a campaign that was in keeping with the spirit and values of this great city, a city that regards our diversity not as a weakness, but as an almighty strength, and one that rejects right hard-wing populism and looks forward, not back," Khan added.
The incumbent Labour mayors in Liverpool, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire were also re-elected Saturday. For Labour, arguably the best result was in the West Midlands, widely regarded as the key bellwether region of the U.K. where the Conservative incumbent lost.
The latest successes for Labour came after it seized control of councils across England that it hasn’t held for decades. The party was also successful in a special election for a seat in Parliament, that if translated to a general election would lead to one of the Conservatives' biggest-ever defeats.
Though the Conservatives suffered a drubbing in the local elections, it looks as though Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will not face a further rebellion among his ranks.
Sunak was able to breathe a sigh of relief when the Conservative mayor of Tees Valley in the northeast of England was reelected, albeit with a depressed share of the vote. Sunak had hoped that Andy Street would hold on in the West Midlands but he lost to Labour's Richard Parker, who claimed a majority of under 2,000 votes.
One negative for Labour was that its vote in strongly Muslim areas in England was depressed by opposition to the party leadership’s strongly pro-Israel stance over the war in Gaza.
Starmer conceded that the party has had issues with Muslim voters, but the results in general were positive for the man who is favorite to become prime minister at the next general election.
Sunak has the power to decide on the date of the next election, and has indicated that it will be in the second half of 2024. Starmer urged him not to wait.
“We're fed up with your division, with your chaos, with your failure,” he said Saturday. “If you leave your country in a worse state than when you found it, 14 years later, you do not deserve to be in government a moment longer.”
Thursday’s elections in large parts of England were important in themselves, with voters deciding on who runs many aspects of their daily lives, such as garbage collection, road maintenance and local crime prevention. But with a national election looming, they are being viewed through a national prism.
John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, said the results show that Sunak has not helped the Conservative brand following the damage accrued by the actions of his predecessors, Boris Johnson and then Liz Truss.
“That in a sense is the big takeaway," he told BBC radio.
Sunak became prime minister in October 2022, after Truss's short-lived tenure. She left office after 49 days following a budget of unfunded tax cuts that roiled financial markets and sent borrowing costs for homeowners surging.
Her chaotic — and traumatic — leadership compounded the Conservatives’ difficulties following the circus surrounding her predecessor Johnson, who was forced to quit after being adjudged to have lied to Parliament over coronavirus lockdown breaches at his offices in Downing Street.
By late afternoon Saturday, with most of the 2,661 seats up for grabs in the local elections counted, the Conservatives had lost around a half of the 1,000 seats they were defending, while Labour had picked up about 200 despite some seemingly Gaza-related losses.
Other parties, such as the centrist Liberal Democrats and the Greens, also made gains. Reform U.K., which is trying to usurp the Conservatives from the right, also had some successes, notably in the special parliamentary election in Blackpool South, where it was less than 200 votes from grabbing second place.
Count Binface a candidate in the London Mayoral election poses for the cameras at the count result in City Hall in London, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Labour's Sadiq Khan, centre, is re-elected as the Mayor of London, at City Hall, London, Saturday May 4, 2024. ( Jeff Moore//PA via AP)
Sadiq Khan makes a speech after he is re-elected for a record third time as Mayor of London, following the counting of votes, at City Hall in London, Saturday, May 4, 2024. Khan, the Labour Party's Mayor of London, has romped to victory, securing a record third straight term at City Hall, on another hugely disappointing day for the U.K.'s governing Conservatives ahead of a looming general election. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Conservative Party mayoral candidate Susan Hall, left, shakes hands with the winning Labour Party's Sadiq Khan on stage as he is re-elected for a record third time as Mayor of London, following the counting of votes, at City Hall in London, Saturday, May 4, 2024. Khan, the Labour Party's Mayor of London, has romped to victory, securing a record third straight term at City Hall, on another hugely disappointing day for the U.K.'s governing Conservatives ahead of a looming general election. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Sadiq Khan makes a speech after he is re-elected for a record third time as Mayor of London, following the counting of votes, at City Hall in London, Saturday, May 4, 2024. Khan, the Labour Party's Mayor of London, has romped to victory, securing a record third straight term at City Hall, on another hugely disappointing day for the U.K.'s governing Conservatives ahead of a looming general election. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Count Binface, a candidate in the London Mayoral election poses for the cameras at the count result in City Hall in London, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
Sadiq Khan makes a speech as he is re-elected for a record third time as Mayor of London, following the counting of votes, at City Hall in London, Saturday, May 4, 2024. Khan, the Labour Party's Mayor of London, has romped to victory, securing a record third straight term at City Hall, on another hugely disappointing day for the U.K.'s governing Conservatives ahead of a looming general election. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
London Mayoral Labour Party candidate Sadiq Khan pats his dog Luna as they pose for the media he arrives to vote in London, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Khan, is seeking re-election, and standing against 12 other candidates for the post of Mayor of London. There are other Mayoral elections in English cities and as well as local council elections. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Counting starts for the Manchester Mayoral election at Manchester Central, England, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
Britain's Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer with newly elected East Midlands mayor Claire Ward during a visit to Forest Town Arena in Mansfield, England, Saturday May 4, 2024. (Jacob King/PA via AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak smiles as he inspects the Passing Out Parade of the Parachute Regiment recruits during his visit to the Helles Barracks at the Catterick Garrison, a military base in North Yorkshire, Britain, Friday, May 3, 2024. (Molly Darlington/Pool photo via AP)
Labour candidate Chris Webb celebrates after winning the Blackpool South by-election following the count at Blackpool Sports Centre in Blackpool, Britain, Friday, May 3, 2024. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
FILE - A woman pushes a buggy as she arrives to vote at a polling station in London, Thursday, May 2, 2024. Britain's governing Conservative Party is suffering heavy losses as local election results pour in Friday, piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a U.K. general election in which the main opposition Labour Party appears increasingly likely to return to power after 14 years. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
Counting begins at the Blackpool South by-election at Blackpool Sports Centre in Blackpool, England, Thursday, May 2, 2024. The by-election was triggered after the resignation of Scott Benton. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)
A woman holds an umbrella as she walks along the banks of the River Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, Friday, May 3, 2024. Britain's governing Conservative Party is suffering heavy losses as local election results pour in Friday, piling pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a U.K. general election in which the main opposition Labour Party appears increasingly likely to return to power after 14 years. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
Conservative party candidate Lord Ben Houchen, left, with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak following his re-election as Tees Valley Mayor in Teesside, England, Friday May 3, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
Britain's Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer, center, and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves, celebrate with David Skaith at Northallerton Town Football Club, North Yorkshire, after winning the York and North Yorkshire mayoral election, Friday May 3, 2024. (Owen Humphreys/PA via AP)
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks as he takes part in broadcasting a clip during his visit to the Helles Barracks at the Catterick Garrison, a military base in North Yorkshire, Britain, Friday, May 3, 2024. (Molly Darlington/Pool photo via AP)
