During this year's London Fashion Week, two iconic brands made a triumphant return on the runway and reclaimed the spotlight for the Spring/Summer season. London-based house Alexander McQueen returned to its roots after spending over two decades in Paris, stunning front-row guests with trademark McQueen pieces featuring lace corsets, chainmail skull dresses, and devil horns.
Mulberry, for its part, returned after a nine-year hiatus to debut Christopher Kane's bold new collection, turning heads with an updated Bayswater bag and head-to-toe leather looks. Beyond these high-profile runway moments, the much-awaited event unveiled the key styles set to make the leap from the catwalk to the closet.
Here are the 5 biggest trends to emerge from this year's shows:
1. Messy Girl Aesthetic
Deliberate chaos, messy updos, and undone tailoring: the Messy Girl Aesthetic explicitly rejects the 'quiet luxury' and 'clean girl' looks that dominated everyone's Instagram feeds back in 2025. Elektra Kotsoni, deputy director for Vogue Runway and Vogue Business, noted in a BBC interview that 'the number one trend for this season is messy girl'. She added that 'this world is quite messy,' explaining how the mix of pastel colors, tactile materials, and dreamy florals form 'unexpected clashes'—a form of fashion rebellion on full display.
2. Gardening Core
Gardening is officially high fashion. This emerging trend trades polished aesthetics for allotment-ready utility, pairing structured trench outerwear with kitchen-garden details to create a look that suggests you just stepped off the lawn.
'There are lots of gardening-appropriate silhouettes on the runways,' Kotsoni observed, highlighting trench coats, aprons, and waterproof materials. Pointing out that 'fashion is always a reflection of what's happening in the world', she praised designers for elevated interpretations of everyday gardening gear that do not feel out of place.
3. Modern Goddess
As a nod to the buzz around Christopher Nolan's hit film The Odyssey, the Modern Goddess trend draws heavy inspiration from ancient Greece. To replicate the trend, Kotsoni recommends looking out for 'draped garments, breezy materials, and lots of bohemian and flowy silhouettes'.
Pauline Dujancourt's show epitomized the style seen from the film, showcasing maximum volume and billowing fabrics—posing a striking contrast to the sharper street style and quiet luxury usually worn by London Fashion Week attendees.
4. Orange
After gaining momentum when Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner stepped out in matching neon outfits, Kotsoni is betting a shade of orange will take top honors as Pantone's Color of the Year.
That prediction played out clearly on the runway, with Vin + Omi, Mulberry, Enny Atelier, and Justin Cassin all featuring vibrant orange looks across their London collections.
5. Ballet
'Ballet is very much in fashion,' says Kotsoni. 'Ballet flats are massive and will continue to be, with slim footwear silhouettes remaining prevalent for next season.'
The trend's crossover into mainstream culture is stronger than ever, highlighted by Royal Ballet dancer Francesca Hayward working with brands including Armani and Chanel, and La Scala's Roberto Bolle gracing the cover of Vogue Italia.
Watch out for more emerging styles as London Fashion Week wraps up.
