WITCHFUL THINKING

London Fashion Week signals season of the witch with velvet skirts. black lace and eerie bird motifs

- Olivia Petter

As any good witch will know, our season is coming. Come October, an ominous aura envelops us all and everything suddenly looks a little darker. Like we're on the precipice of something that is either going to seduce or swallow us. Or potentially even both.

Naturally, this foreboding dichotomy is often reflected in our wardrobes. No, we don't all start donning pointy hats and cloaks. but there's a distinctly witchy aesthetic that tends to take over by way of rich textures, jewel tones and pointy lace-up boots.

All this is to be expected. What's less quotidian, though, is that this sartorial mood extends into sunnier months. And yet, that seems to be the overriding instruction for next season, according to London Fashion Week. The tone was set at Harris Reed, whose collection was titled "The Aviary" in homage to the various bird motifs it referenced.

Gowns took flight via laced velvet corsets that branched out of the body like wings, while feathers on necklines created metre-wide silhouettes akin to talons. Models slowly glided down the runway to the sounds of twinkling music that, thanks to the cacophony of female vocalists, sounded not unlike groups of women casting spells.