Erdem gives us The Crown vibes with his LFW show

(Image credit: 2020 Stuart Wilson/BFC)

The venue

It’s not the first time Erdem has presented his collection at the National Portrait Gallery at London Fashion Week, yet it’s magical every time. There is a behind the scenes at the museum atmosphere about sitting beneath oil portraits that you can never get enough of. The romantic and grand gallery is the perfect backdrop for Erdem’s AW20 collection, which is actually inspired by Cecile Beaton’s early photography.

The clothes

(Image credit: 2020 Stuart Wilson/BFC)

As previously mentioned, Erdem’s latest designs are directly inspired by Beaton’s early black and white portraits, in which he used his imagination to elevate his own social status, from middle class dreamer to society stalwart. He used to dress up his sisters in bed sheets, tinfoil and feather fans, creating the illusion of high society heiresses.

Erdem translated this fantasy into feather headdresses of his own, decadent off-the-shoulder brocade tops embellished with bows, checkered duster coats and dreamy 20s style silk dresses embellished with pearls and crystals.

The accessories

(Image credit: 2020 Stuart Wilson/BFC)

The vibe was definitely more here, with metallic high gloves giving us high society vibes, impossibly tall feather headdresses, jewelled headbands and maximalist jewellery that ranged from flower checkers to crystal drop earrings.

The FROW

(Image credit: 2020 David M. Benett)

Seasoned fashion week star Billy Porter stood out in a boat hat and pretty floral skirt, while Erin O'Connor, Pixie Geldof, Charlie XCX and Alexa Chung also graced the FROW.

The standout piece

(Image credit: 2020 Stuart Wilson/BFC)

The off-the-shoulder silver printed period dress that reminded me of a modern - and impossibly chic - Emma.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.