London's fashion festivities have now passed the baton to Milan, but here's what we learned about Spring 2014 from the runway in the British capital.

 

Florals at Mary Katrantzou

Florals

Florals were one of London's biggest tatler_tatler_stories this time around, but for 2014 they come with a bit of a twist. Antonio Berardi was perhaps the most traditional (but no less effective) with his pink and red floral embroidery onto white separates.

The Peter Pilotto show filtered flowers through a futuristic kaleidoscope, via the artworks of American ceramicist and painter Kenneth Price. Similarly Preen served up angular, patchwork florals, and Mary Katrantzou created glamorous crystal-embellished floral protrusions that burst out of bodices.

Still it was Scottish designer Christopher Kane who got top prize. Kane went back to school, dissecting the trend into ovums, stigmas and stamens and reintegrating them into cut-out motifs and sequin appliqués. 

 

 

Lace at Burberry Prorsum

Lace

Lace also cropped up all over the place, either dark and broody (as it had been in NYC) or with a lighter, colorful twist. Meadham Kirchhoff went on a gothic fairytale trip with long folky lace skirts and bodices worn with python jackets and accessories.

At Burberry Prorsum, Christopher Bailey extolled the virtues of traditional Nottingham lace in soft pastel colors, worn under soft cardigans. He undercut the village tea party vibes with slightly racier latex coats and sheer shirts, another major Spring 2014 trend. 

 

 

Sheer at Antonio Berardi

Sheer

Jonathan Saunders combined sheer and semi-sheer shirting with floral embroidery, while Richard Nicoll also stitched repeated houndstooth pattern into his sheer tops and skirts.

J.W. Anderson was suitably avant-garde with a selection of tiered sheer pieces, while some of his tops were nothing more than squares of sheer material tied over the models' chests. Back at Antonio Berardi, the designer also tailored a stunning pair of sheer white silk pants with a matching shirt, worn underneath a pink metallic bomber jacket for a standout look.

 

 

Photos: AFP/Ben Stansall & Andrew Cowie