Reliving the ’80s

There seems to be something about economic chaos that inspires fashion designers to offset the harsh realities of the times with glitz and glamour. Amidst the recession of the 1980s designers sent bright colours, big hair and opulence down the runway.  This week, amidst all the gloom and doom of a spiralling economy, London Fashion Week kicked off with a new crop of designers referencing the days "when shoulders were as icicle sharp as the frosty fiscal climate." But fear not! Richard Nicoll, Todd Lynn, Nathan Jenden and Nicole Farhi—a few of the designers who have presented shows at London Fashion Week thus far—are not rehashing ’80s fashion in all of its glory.  Rather, they have infused their collections with the era’s brightest points, creating sharp, sleek, modern glamour and providing women (and men) with the motivation to get dressed up—which, after all, is one good way to "beat the freeze."

International Herald Tribune