"Mermaids meet sports luxe" is how I would describe Ekaterina Kukhareva's SS17 collection, in which the luxury knitwear designer successfully steers the siren aesthetic away from its ethereal stereotype to a somewhat edgier style. That isn't to say, however, that these spring/summer ensembles are in any way lacking in beauty or femininity. Ocean-themed patterns of shells, seahorses and seaweeds are woven into coral pink vest tops and sea blue two-pieces, alongside floaty dresses that reflect lapping waves.
To complement her early morning presentation, Ekaterina served her guests a perfectly sweet breakfast at the stylish Bronte restaurant, including pastel mini meringues and candy-coated strawberries. As I tucked into my scones and a cup of tea, the models - with coloured fabric braided into their hair - took to a spot of badminton on the other side of the room. The mood was blissfully relaxed, a pleasant change to the typical bustle of London Fashion Week, thereby allowing everybody to interact with this beautiful collection at their leisure.
