Call it what you want, but it seems a glitter storm has hit the London Fashion Week runway. Well, we may have exaggerated a bit, as the sparkle factor isn’t a total takeover, but this season, almost all the biggest designers from the UK incorporated a touch of it into their collections. It’s also led to the near-obsessive use of the Kira Kira app, which turns your average sparkle into a cartoon-esque flash of light. Naturally, Instagram’s Eva Chen has turned the app to the Ashish runway, offering definitive proof of London’s sparkle takeover.
At Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, diamanté bralettes were layered under pastel poufs of tulle, providing just a hint of shine, similar to Simone Rocha, who used red crystals to tie a bow on a frock made from voluminous white sleeves and peachy-hued ruffles. Mary Katrantzou used Swarovski crystals to spruce up a woven friendship bracelet, brought to life as the skirt of a dress.
Elsewhere, the sparkle factor was a full-on assault to the eyes (in a good way), as Erdem Moralioglu presented a silver sequined turtleneck, alongside a grey skirt, both of which were embellished with a smattering of sparkle clusters. In a collection inspired by an imagined romance between Queen Elizabeth and famous jazz artist Duke Ellington, it was certainly a fitting look. J.W.Anderson took glimmering sequins and turned them into striped frocks, but not in the delicate way—these were textured layering pieces, meant to be worn over army green trousers with a sense of purpose.
And the theme marched on, with subtly slashed sweatshirts from Christopher Kane in—you guessed it—shades of shimmer, in addition to a jewel-festooned collab with Crocs and a chunky jewelry partnership with Swarkovski. Click through to see the best sparkling looks from London Fashion Week, and make sure to layer on the sequins, Swarovskis and sparkle, come Spring 2018.