Her.ie Goes To London Fashion Week – Crushing on Spring Summer 2016

Our resident style obsessive, Cathy, has been dreaming of fashion week fun for quite some time. This season, she decided Her.ie deserved a sneak peek of SS16 and here's how she's getting on.

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Since arriving in London yesterday, it's been non-stop and I've loved every minute of it. My LFW 2015 kicked off with the Jean Pierre Bragaznza show yesterday and it was one to remember. JPB, a master in tailoring and draping, chose two themes for his collection: vibrant shades of bright colour together with a minimalist monochrome vibe. It was a popular show too as Caggie Dunlop, Oliver Proudlock, Diana Vickers, Sam Faiers and Lucy Mecklenburgh turned up to sit on the frow. After that, it was time to get ready for the Paul Costelloe presentation which was high on my list of LFW priorities. To set the scene for anyone reading, Paul's #SS16 collection took place in the most beautiful room at Hotel Cafe Royale. Ornate gold ceilings, gorgeous blooms and the strains of Breaking Up Is Hard To Do provided a gorgeous backdrop for next season's 60's inspired collection.

Pretty prints and neoprene fabrics, we're in with the #SS16 @PaulCostelloeUK collection #LFW pic.twitter.com/sZ0M2bzz20

— Her.ie (@Herdotie) September 18, 2015

Think neoprene fabrics, bright neons, babydoll lengths and frivolous bow details. Playful yet entirely wearable, it's hats off to a designer whose career has spanned more than thirty years. Today kicked off with the queen of print, Orla Kiely and while the Dublin native is known for her innovative presentations, this one was our favourite to date. The crazy golf themed catwalk saw models, wearing prints in pretty pastel shades, giggle as they navigated the course, showing that fashion doesn't always have to be serious. Highlights included the '70s style floral maxi dresses and the pinafore minidresses. We also predict lilac is going to be key for SS16...

  The @orlakiely girls this morning ⛳️? #LFW #orlakiely #itsabirdie   A video posted by Her.ie (@herdotie) on Sep 19, 2015 at 1:56am PDT

Next, it was over to the Institute of Contemporary Arts where we caught up with the 11 designers showcasing their spring summer 2016 collections at Unfold. Honor Fitzimons, Capulet & Montague, We Are Islanders, Natalie B Coleman, Emma Manley, Chupi, Martha Lynn, Jill de Búrca, Helen Steele, Maria Dorai-Raj and Laura Kinsella are the designers who have teamed up with Irish Design 2015. The Unfold event was held as an official event at London Fashion Week showing that the Irish fashion industry is going from strength to strength.

11 Irish designers came together to showcase their #SS16 collections. The result is something special #LFW #Unfold pic.twitter.com/7cZVoQVLob — Cathy Donohue (@cathy_donohue) September 19, 2015

I was bowled over by some of the pieces produced by our homegrown talent and while I won't say too much for now, keep an eye on the site for a behind the scenes video.