By Melissa Koh
Tommy Hilfiger provided the finale to London Fashion Week on Tuesday with a presentation themed "Rock Circus". It was the American designer's first catwalk show outside the United States.
The much-anticipated showcase of Hilfiger's Spring/Summer 2018 collection brought a touch of sportswear chic, picking the Roundhouse as a venue, an arts space known for concerts by legendary stars like Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and David Bowie.
The show opened with model Gigi Hadid who collaborated with the brand on the collection. Wearing thigh-length black socks, ripped denim shorts and a full-length mohair wool coat worn over a black sweater, the Instagrammer-turned-model with more than 36 million followers is likely to boost the awareness of her involvement with Tommy Hilfiger.
"Gigi is very involved with designing the Gigi Tommy collection with us. So a lot of the ideas came from her style," Hilfiger explained.
"There were different eras of rock. There’s punk. There was glam. There was very hippie... We blended it all together with military and sport and workwear. So we put it into a blender with 'Gigi-ism,' and it came out with what you’re going to see tonight."
"Gigi-ism," for the uninitiated, is the 22-year-old Los Angeles native's "California style," according to Hilfiger, a "casual, chic, cool, mix-up, mash-up of high-low and sort of a chic nonchalant look that is really all her own."
Hadid was followed onto the catwalk by her sister Bella, who wore a black hooded fleece dress featuring an eye symbol in a circle of silver sequins.
Leather biker jackets with long zipped sleeves and featuring animal print added to the rock music vibe, along with leather shorts and trousers.
There was also a nod to Scottish heritage with a series of tartan patterns, which included a mini-skirt far shorter than any traditional kilt, featuring a sparkly "H" and star.