LONDON: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 am a perfectionist, so to be able to look around and see my family is very grounding and keeps me calm,” she said.
Victoria Beckham gives glimpse of Victoria, Victoria Beckham
Victoria Beckham did not 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.
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 is emphasizing pastels now — at least for summer — and suits made of pinstriped cotton twill.
It is 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.
Tommy Hilfiger and Gigi Hadid stage London Fashion Week show
Tommy Hilfiger and Gigi Hadid stage London Fashion Week show
Fans bid farewell to Japan’s only pandas
TOKYO: Panda lovers in Tokyo said goodbye on Sunday to a hugely popular pair of the bears that are set to return to China, leaving Japan without the beloved animals for the first time in half a century.
Loaned out as part of China’s “panda diplomacy” program, the distinctive black-and-white animals have symbolized friendship between Beijing and Tokyo since the normalization of diplomatic ties in 1972.
Some visitors at Ueno Zoological Gardens were left teary-eyed as they watched Japan’s only two pandas Lei Lei and Xiao Xiao munch on bamboo.
The animals are expected to leave for China on Tuesday following a souring of relations between Asia’s two largest economies.
“I feel like seeing pandas can help create a connection with China too, so in that sense I really would like pandas to come back to Japan again,” said Gen Takahashi, 39, a Tokyo resident who visited the zoo with his wife and their two-year-old daughter.
“Kids love pandas as well, so if we could see them with our own eyes in Japan, I’d definitely want to go.”
The pandas’ abrupt return was announced last month after Japan’s conservative premier Sanae Takaichi hinted Tokyo could intervene militarily in the event of any attack on Taiwan.
Her comment provoked the ire of Beijing, which regards the island as its own territory.
The 4,400 lucky winners of an online lottery took turns viewing the four-year-old twins at Ueno zoo while others gathered nearby, many sporting panda-themed shirts, bags and dolls to celebrate the moment.
Mayuko Sumida traveled several hours from the central Aichi region in the hope of seeing them despite not winning the lottery.
“Even though it’s so big, its movements are really funny-sometimes it even acts kind of like a person,” she said, adding that she was “totally hooked.”
“Japan’s going to be left with zero pandas. It feels kind of sad,” she said.
Their departure might not be politically motivated, but if pandas return to Japan in the future it would symbolize warming relations, said Masaki Ienaga, a professor at Tokyo Woman’s Christian University and expert in East Asian international relations.
“In the future...if there are intentions of improving bilateral ties on both sides, it’s possible that (the return of) pandas will be on the table,” he told AFP.
