The Best Looks From London Fashion Week Fall 2016

Marques'Almeida, the newcomers already easily recognizable for their head-to-toe frayed denim looks, expanded that idea into a collection of "normal clothes, like it tumbled out of someone's closet rather than in a store or on a rack," according to Marta Marques. It's just the sort of move that new cool kids can make.

—Kerry Pieri

The changes didn't stop there, Marques and Paulo Almeida cast real girls—personal friends from creative fields—allowing some to self-style the disparate separates, which Almeida says, "can look mismatched—and not in the right way." Here it was the right way—sheer asymmetrical skirting with sporty sweatshirts hit that streetwear mark everyone is currently craving.

Almeida also pointed to the work of Charles and Ray Eames as a source of inspiration, "the way they would collect materials in a way that was very personal to them," which was evident in the patchwork pieces and playful jumbo sized houndstooth prints. Consider it the brand's next generation of denim.

It was personal style through a '90s lens—Harmony Corinne's "Kids" also served as a reference, but not in any way that was derivative. Maybe an oversized belt here or hoodie sweatshirt there, but the takeaway was a cool, sporty insouciance.

Marques' unofficial mantra for this season's unorthodox approach was "Letting go and letting be." But this fun mix of tie dye, gingham, fur heels and net fabrics worked most of the time.

—Kerry Pieri

Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos never fail to deliver color, whimsy and precision. And now that they have a cash injection thanks to their Arbol jewelry collection backed by Swarovski, things can only get better for the duo.

Fall is obviously about coats for a lot of designers. But here, the story was the knits. The glorious, inventive, slightly retro yet still of-the-moment knits. Warm and cozy but not too chunky (read as: bulk-making) sweaters and layering pieces. From colorful argyles to Nordic ski turtlenecks to the colorfully patterned asymmetric dresses that ended the whole show—all so, so good. It hit that sweet spot between wearable and want-able.

The coats were pretty terrific, too. The duo ramped up the shine factor, using silver like the neutral it is and pairing it back to blue, black, pinky nudes and a delightful multicolored diamond gown that is just as much red carpet as it is apres ski.

One of the best, among many, was a black, white and taupe knit cape worn long and loose over a white frilled skirt and silver sandals. It could be the casual dinner uniform for Aspen, St. Moritz, the sidewalks of any major metropolitan city.

And fans who have tracked Pilotto and de Vos since their first seasons and fell for their cheerful prints, this was a return to that and an evolution. Lace and crushed velvet dresses were sewn together with jeweled details, embroidery and beading and appliqués in a fun winter whirl.

Christopher Kane wears the mantle of naughty boy of fashion well. He's provocative, mischievous and a touch devious (those cable ties from spring were handed out as gifts this time. Clever branding, but it should have come with strict directions to use as a hair tie only and not style it the way he did on the runway. Catch my autoerotic asphyxiation drift?). So good thing that amongst all the bells, whistles and tricks, there was solid design. Starting, for fall, with those terrific knits. And if you're name starts with a K, you're in super luck with his intarsia sweaters.

This time around, Kane's English rose has gotten stuck in the rain on her way to work, a party, a wedding—so the plastic head-wraps suggest. But these clothes and accessories can stand up to the fashion winds, he suggests. An abstracted floral came in cookie asymmetric and undone tunics and slipdresses and then in more understandable pleated skirt worn with an orange sweater with a single rose appliqué.

From the florals, he moved into a series of gray furs that begged to be touched. But instead of showing them with something super lady, he threw them over sheer lace dresses and tough black booties.

The furs gave way to oversized gray knit sweaters, cardigans and dresses. Proportion be damned. They looked fun and ready-to-be-worn now. And pulled apart into separates, could be worn with the handful of mumsy rose-printed bow blouses and silky skirts and dresses that followed.

Kane's finale was about two different stories: one a rich ruby color that he worked into spaghetti strap dresses and loose skirts. He paired it back to animal intarsias and classic men's wear style jackets and finely tailored overcoats. And all of it detailed with feathers, sometimes used like quills sticking out here and there. The second story felt like a PS or a coda, one that had stripes and flower appliques sprinkled all over and floral prints that looked like they hadn't quite made it through the rain.

Musician Jake Bugg serenaded show-gowers as they sat on Burberry's velvet benches set up in a series of circles throughout its custom show space. At this point, chief creative Christopher Bailey had all eyes on him as he was the biggest designer to date to announce that he would be switching over to a see now/buy now show strategy. It's just hours after Kering head Francois-Henri Pinault said his brands, including super hot Gucci, would not making the jump.

How this shakes out in the next few months (and even years) will be interesting and industry-changing for sure, but in the meantime, everything on the Burberry runway is for sale—now. Which is good news for the girl who needs her snake-skin dusters, military coats and snug knit dresses for the final few weeks of winter.

Bailey mixed together all of his favorite motifs and some house standards. There were the men's wear checks and plaids, the military codas, the street urchin styling (edge-cut hair and knit tights), British punk ankle boots and an assortment of cool outerwear to last for several winters.

The house debuted a new collection of bags—the Patchwork, a small buckled shoulder style that picked up on the vibrancy and melange of colors worked into the clothes.

And if anyone thought Bailey would play it safe since the clothes and accessories have to be ready to go pronto, think again. Citrus knit coats played off complementary toned shimmery minis. Dresses were hand-beaded. Ankle boots were printed and buckled demonstratively. This wasn't just a lineup of core cashmere sweaters and basic coats.