- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- Ancelotti points finger at Madrid's 'lack of intensity'
- Haiti reeling after 70 killed in gang attack
- Five Czech kids in hospital over TikTok 'piercing challenge'
- What happens next in Iran-Israel conflict?
- Country star Garth Brooks denies rape accusations
- Stubbs hits maiden century as South Africa make 343-4 against Ireland
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Odegaard injury has forced Arsenal to be 'different', says Arteta
- Ratcliffe refuses to guarantee Ten Hag's Man Utd future
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Mauritius to hold legislative election on November 10
- Britain qualify for America's Cup final after 60-year wait
- IMF asks Sri Lanka to protect hard-won gains
- Morata returns to Spain Nations League squad after injury
- Irish regulator to probe Ryanair use of facial recognition
- Public allowed to see video evidence in France mass rape trial
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- Under-fire Ten Hag 'together' with Man Utd hierarchy
- Guardiola talks of Man City love affair as financial hearing rumbles on
London Fashion Week goes 1960s... with a twist
The first full day of London Fashion Week kicked off with a nod to the Swinging Sixties by Irish designer and LFW veteran Paul Costelloe and Turkish designer Bora Aksu.
1960s-style Mod dresses and workwear in pastel linens, floral silk jacquards and understated tweeds abounded in Costelloe's Spring/Summer collection, "Le ciel est bleu".
The once-private stylist for Princess Diana presented his "ode to Paris" -- 40 years after showing at the first ever LFW in 1984 -- in a call back to his fashion beginnings working as a design assistant in the French capital.
In a modern twist to the outfits with his debut hosier line, Costelloe paired trending long striped socks with stilettos.
Speaking to the Irish Independent newspaper ahead of the show, Costelloe said the hybrid look was "akin to Emily in Paris", the hit Netflix series starring Lily Collins, whose character Emily Cooper's experimental fashion choices have split opinions among viewers.
A short walk away from Costelloe's Parisian-inspired runway, models at the Bora Aksu show strutted through a sun-drenched rose garden in a central London churchyard, draped in layers of sheer, delicate fabric.
Pastel colourways and floral patterns alongside polka dots and bows recalled the traditional roots of the trendy "coquette" aesthetic.
Outfits with intricate lacework, tailored jackets, and light knitwear were completed with cat-eye sunglasses and vintage hairdos piled high.
The slim, layered silhouettes were a "nod to the 60s", Aksu said backstage after the show, along with sunglasses and pearl earrings -- favourites of his late Turkish mother to whom the show was dedicated.
"You know, they have that femininity, and that coquette look, but they're still quite strong", Aksu explained, describing his mother as an independent working woman who explored her individual style through creating her own clothes.
Greek designer Dimitra Petsa (Di Petsa), meanwhile, travelled further back in time to ancient Greek mythology with her "My Body is a Labyrinth" collection, inspired by the myth of Theseus and Princess Ariadne and celebrating feminine pleasure and summer nostalgia.
Wet-look dresses and jumpsuits, seen notably on actress Zendaya, hugged the models adorned with barely-there chest jewels and fishing nets.
Mermaids and sea gods seemed to emerge from the waters with wet hair and sunburnt skin, in immaculate asymmetrical swimsuits and cut-out tops, mixed with more straightforward red or electric-blue pieces and colourful flip-flops.
For the show's finale, the models linked together with a long red thread, recalling the spool Ariadne gave to Theseus to help him find his way through the labyrinth.
C.Cassis--PC