LFW: David Koma

As the likes of Cheryl and Beyoncé knew many moons ago, David Koma is the undisputed king of the party dress – and SS14 saw him give his signature A-line styles an Eastern twist.

Drawing inspiration from Japan and the mysterious art of Kyudo – a mix of martial arts and meditation – Koma has created dresses for the elegant warrior within. Think Sasha Fierce rather than Beyoncé.

Inspired by Kyudo’s laws of truth, virtue and beauty, Koma’s vision is to ‘unleash a woman’s hidden powers through her dress’. And let’s face it, if he can’t do it, nobody can.

So what does this all-powerful dress look like? Structured, that’s for sure. With the principles of balance and control heavily influencing his vision, Koma has kept his dresses strictly tailored and separates coordinated.

Pairing back hair and make-up – the models with fresh faces and sleek ponytails – it was all about Koma’s talent for shapes. Leather trims were added to his graphic A-line dresses, while the usual cut-outs and exposed shoulders all remained a permanent fixture. High necks, zip fronts and asymmetric hems and collars also added an extra element of drama, while thick jersey and silk was used to give a second-skin, armour-like aesthetic.

With the theme of balance never too far from his mind, a striking monochrome-heavy colour palette was peppered with soft pinks as well as powder and cobalt blues.

Whilst we’re not sure these dresses can help you master the principles of balance, stillness and control, we were still very much left wanting one… or five. Expect to see Rihanna and Cheryl channeling their inner warriors very soon.

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London Fashion Week SS14 runs from Friday 13 to Tuesday 17 September. Stay tuned for more coverage.

Image by Charlotte White