Burberry and All the Best Looks from London Fashion Week

Sometimes a fashion show is more than a fashion show, and there's no doubting that what Jonathan Anderson crafted (and curated) for fall 2021 will be referenced in future career retrospectives. Far from a traditional runway, the Juergen Teller–shot images showed the clothes alongside pieces from artists Dame Magdalene Odundo and Shawanda Corbett (and the women themselves—both agreed to be photographed by Teller as part of the collection). By sitting apparel alongside ceramic alongside performance art, the designer showed fall as something more than fashion—it's "artistic output broadly." The dresses, coats, and tops were all voluminous—silhouettes before garments—and evoked the "totemic structures" he was musing on. Form is arguably what informs all disciplines of art, and Anderson reminded us that fashion is no different. Seeing the tightly edited collection through the lens of Teller was paramount to the experience too. Rather than viewing gangly limbs snapped mid-stride on a runway, we digested each piece on model Nyaueth Riam as she arranged herself into sculptural shapes. Her participation wasn't an afterthought or a requirement, but a key decision made by Anderson as curator. She showed each article as what it is: a piece of art, carefully considered from each angle and intended to tell an evolving story each time you come across it. —Leah Melby Clinton

Duality, optical illusion, and trompe-l'oeil are three things that could make for quite a trippy collection, yet Nanushka's Sandra Sandor avoids sensory overload by thoughtfully surprising and adjusting rather than dramatically scrambling. Classic pieces are reworked in intimate ways that might not be obvious at first glance (lapels skinnier; dress shirts cut like elongated tunics), but surprise you when you peer closer. Masks, those omnipresent accessories of 2020, also inspired some of the more unusual cuts, like a leather-duster-cum-vest and patchworked net dress. "Wearing masks has made life feel quite anonymous," Sandor said in the show notes. "It led me to consider what we reveal and what we conceal in a new way." Masks for the win again.—Leah Melby Clinton

This season, Erdem took us to the ballet—but it wasn't the tulle-skirted, blush-toned whimsy one would expect. Instead, we were taken backstage, on stage, in the wings, to rehearsals, and were even paid a visit from some ballet mistresses in strict tailoring. The designer looked at all sides of the art form, inspired by those in dance history that broke with convention. Margot Fonteyn, who danced with a partner almost two decades her junior in the '60s was a starting point for Erdem, who tapped four dancers past and present to walk on his collection stage.

Leggings, knits, and bralettes nodded to rehearsal dressing, while coats thrown over ostrich feather skirts were meant to feel like a dancer heading out after a performance with no time to change. There were some peacock moments as well: crystal-encrusted dresses, full skirts, and feathered headpieces called to the costumes of Swan Lake. Like many designers this season, Erdem seems to be reconsidering how we'll address dressing up post-lockdown; per his signature dark romance, his woman will do so elegantly—but with some edge. —Carrie Goldberg