London’s designers are usually in their own world, unaffected and untouched by Paris, Milan or New York, but this time around, I wanted to know… did a large majority of them get together with their fellow New York designers to have tea and crumpets while all unanimously deciding to focus on 80’s grunge?

The 80’s homage paid by every single designer during London fashion week (whether intentional or not), for once, became a bit tiresome after the first day. What happened to the originality and spunk typically expected from London Fashion Week? This is not to say all the designers made shredded, oversized sweaters or neon, sharp-shouldered Thierry-Mugler-esque jackets. London’s designers were split on their interpretation of 80’s grunge and pop culture: half of them were concerned with a feminine, punky attitude with florals, preppy layering and unexpected color combinations. The other half delved right into shaped jackets, futuristic and amorphous mini dresses. Topshop Unique, for instance, seemed to reinterpret Vivienne Westwood’s classics for the high street.

Other significant trends from London Fashion Week include:

Images via style.com

Images via style.com

Images via style.com

Images via style.com

Images via style.com

Images via style.com, elle.com

It was a relief to see a handful of notable trends emerge in unison from London Fashion Week, but to have them reiterated over and over again created monotony. By the end of the week, I could barely distinguish among each individual show, save for the distinctions in flashy backgrounds and runway sets.