The Style Shift - Pornstars, and Nepo-Babies, and Politics, Oh My! A Summary of LFW AW25
With the sudden onslaught of spring, it might feel as though February and Fashion Week happened lightyears ago. Whilst this may be true, nostalgic as always, I can’t help but lament the passing of the season’s most important week in not only fashion, but celeb-spotting, too. Though I mainly partook from the comfort of my own home, I was fortunate enough to attend some of the LFW events myself this year and do some spotting in-person. I found myself foraging for stickers and stamps alongside Central Cee at the Yaku presentation - who would’ve thought? Taking this as a signifier that I am one step closer to achieving the “bonafide it-girl” moniker, I thought it only right to give a breakdown of some of my favourite moments in fashion and famous faces at London Fashion Week.
This year, more than before, LFW faced being overshadowed by its European rivals. Without the deep legacy of luxury brands like Paris, or dependable weather like Milan, London Fashion Week, as presented by the mainstream media, pales in comparison to its continental cousins. However, what we lack in sunshine and Saint Laurent, we make up for in celebrity cameos. There is something undeniably charming about watching Richard E. Grant strut the Burberry catwalk alongside a mysterious knight - a shame for the Saltburn star who was unfortunately not afforded the privilege of wearing his suit of armour on this occasion.
Grant was not the only celeb to have taken to the runway this season. One of the more viral LFW moments came from Harris Reed’s opening catwalk on the Thursday evening, where Florence Pugh took to the runway once again, in a reprise of her AW23 performance on behalf of the brand. Subtly nodding to her filmography like Grant did, the Dune actress stunned in spidery-lashes, a 3D-printed corset, and a mesh hood that wouldn’t look terribly out of place in the desert of Arrakis.
One of the most unexpected catwalk appearances was pornstar Mia Khalifa, who walked the runway for Di Petsa’s “Reflections of Desire” showcase. Once known to Gen Z-ers as a teenage boy in-joke, Khalifa is now beloved by fashion fanatics, too. The model tapped into her inner Aphrodite in a low-cut brown dress, draped in jewels along the sleeves and navel.
Plagued by a low attention span and a tendency to be on the colder side, bird-watching on Primrose Hill has never particularly appealed to me. What does appeal to me, however, is nepo-baby spotting, and I must say, February is a lovely time of year for it! It's not Fashion Week without a courtesy picture of Kate Moss and her daughter, Lila, in matching outfits. This year, the pair posed in silky little black dresses courtesy of DKNY for the brand’s celebratory dinner at Isabel’s in Mayfair, paired with gold hoops and black pumps to match.
A true sign that nature is healing, the Gallagher cousins sat front-row over at the Burberry show to complete the so-called “New” Primrose Hill Set. Anaïs and Gene sported earth-toned structured trousers, trench coats, and sunglasses, whilst Lennon took a more laid-back approach in a checked-shirt. The Burberry show also brought my favourite nepo-baby sighting of the season: Brooklyn and Nicola Peltz Beckham. Decked in signature Burberry checks, the couple wore matching cargo trousers and platform shoes as they beamed at one another.
After dedicating my first column at STRAND to the designer’s work in 2024, I was delighted to see the return of Dilara Findikoglu this Fashion Week, after she opted out of the Spring/Summer showing last October. Her AW25 collection, titled “Venus from Chaos”, embodied the designer’s signature gothic-maximalist style. Findikoglu blessed us with a wealth of luxurious materials, including velvet, lace, and pearls, as well as lots of mesh, in a celebration of femininity and rejection of modesty. Aside from the now-viral hand-tattooed dress for Look 30, “True Skin”, another favourite of mine from the show was Look 23, “Rebirth of Venus”. A classics-student cliché, I am a sucker for a Botticelli reference. I adored the effort put into the hair-placement, lovingly draped around the model’s body, and the shell-encrusted hot pants. I was also thoroughly pleased to see Charli XCX, long-term champion of the brand and “Queen of England” (at least according to Dilara and myself), wearing “Cage of Mind”, a look pulled straight off the runway, at the Brit Awards last Saturday. “I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples”, joked the mesh-clad singer in her acceptance speech for her Artist of the Year award. The look was classic Dilara: soft mesh draped over all over the body, with slight structuring at the waist, and a take on a bridal veil to insert a hint of modesty in the otherwise completely-nude look.
Dilara was not the only designer hoping to make political headlines this season. American designer Connor Ives went viral for his “Protect the Dolls” t-shirt, clapping back at the recent transphobic legislation put in place across the pond by President Trump. All proceeds from the shirt’s sales will go directly to charity Trans Lifeline. With a focus on British political activity, upcoming designer Maximilian Raynor debuted a look named “The Personification of the Internet” - a dress crafted from 3,600 metres of network cables, as part of his post-apocalyptic collection: “Welcome to the Un-United Kingdom”. The collection reflected the threat of technology to our current standard of living, perhaps inspired by certain tech-moguls’ insertion into British far-right politics.
Fashion week over-and-out, I truly look forward to seeing how the work of luxury designers this February trickles down to the mainstream in anticipation of autumn. Until then, you can find me catching up on Married at First Sight AU and some well deserved rest after the busyness of the fashion weeks and awards ceremonies in February.
Written by Lucy Wragg, Celebrity and Trends Correspondent
Edited by Daisy Packwood, Fashion Editor
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