LFW: Waist Not, Want Not

One clear trend to emerge from London Fashion Week was the move away from accentuating the waist, looking instead to retro shift silhouettes and drop waists instead.
Roksanda Illincic presented her elegant Spring/Summer 2012 collection yesterday with elongated torsos on dresses with hip-height ruffles and peplums. The column dress defined the silhouette with sleeve peplums and graphic colour-blocking prints proving Illincic's mastery of motif as well as cut.
Christopher Kane also took inspiration from retro shift silhouettes for his S/S 2012 collection banishing the waist save for the occasional flash of midriff. Floral shift dresses were shown alongside sleeveless preppy cricket sweaters finishing at hip level on mini skirts for a 1960s country club aesthetic.
Looking to the slip dresses of the 1920s, John Rocha's collection showcased waist-less slips in his signature monochrome colour palette. The Fundamental collection skimmed over the body, minimising rather than exaggerating the female form.
Scottish heritage label Pringle of Scotland also used low-slung belts and casual draping at the hip to add a sense of nonchalance to its S/S 2012 collection. Shift dresses and relaxed tailoring worked to create a relaxed silhouette.
London Fashion Week concludes today with menswear.