Ranked as the most influential school in global school fashion rankings, Central Saint Martins graduation show is much anticipated, with designers, buyers and journalists all keen to see fashion’s next generation of talent make their first foray onto the catwalk.

While this year’s showcase was influenced by political events and globalization, as this years group of graduates were from 32 different nationalities. With students following the footsteps of its alumni AlexanderMcqueen, Phoebe Philo,Stella McCartney and  Sarah Burton, over half of the designers at London Fashion Week are CSM graduates.

Soyoung Park, got the top prize for her imperfect eveningwear, disheveled fur coats teamed with paper-thin cocktail dresses and jewel encrusted slips. Yuhan Wang came second with a collection of sheer pyjama suiting and satin lingerie detailing, while third place went to knitwear student Adnan Salman Jalal who showcased gowns festooned with fur pom-pom trims, mesh crochet and glitter lurex fringing.

Among the more adventurous creations was womens wear designer Joe Boon, who crafted coats from fish skin and cut silk dresses, while Jaeeun Shin gave a sustainable message with gowns made from supermarket carrier bags.

While Liam Johnson’s giant foam jackets and Alex Po’s pastel-toned seventies surfer menswear collection stood out amongst other graduates.

Gucci  staged its cruise 17 show at one of London’s most famous landmarks, Westminster Abbey, typically reserved for coronations and the most opulent of “I dos” .

Much to his love for British culture Alessandro Michele showcased geek chic, vintage-inspired collection that featured both menswear and womenswear in clashing print, pattern, texture, and color alongwith union jacks on Gucci’s signature loafers and, yes, on a bomber jacket.

To quote few of Michele’s latest offerings, there were Country garden-ready robe coats and florals, shimmering paneled cocktail dresses, modern union Jack-clad sweaters and tartan skirts only to end with contemporary streetwear which included embellished hoodies and logo tees.

The conversation between France and England echoes to the time when French fashions were exported for fevered consumption in Great Britain, none more so than Christian Dior’s New Look. Monsieur Dior frequently turned to the UK for inspiration for the fabrics like English wools, Scottish tweeds and Prince of Wales check.

Almost seventy years later, the house of Dior pays homage to that ongoing creative and cultural exchange, staging the runway show of the 2017 Cruise Collection. Blenheim is steeped in history, a symbol of quintessential Englishness, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, the seat of the dukes of Marlborough, and twice the backdrop for Dior haute couture presentations, in 1954 and 1958, each to a royal audience.

Then as now, curiosity about the world leads you on a voyage of discovery, one that is symbolic of looking for the new journey from Paris to Blenheim Palace where the Cruise Collection will be shown.

Lucie Meier and Serge Ruffieux, leads the Christian Dior creative team with the inspiration being not only the post-war high society’s wardrobes, but also the restlessness and wanderlust that characterized the period: the urge to travel, to discover the new. Shots of red are evocative of the hunting pink, rustic tweeds and crisp poplin of country attire, while nineteenth-century equestrian scenes are knitted into intricate pictorial jacquards or fused into English country florals in their cruise 2017 showcase.

Those intermingle with rich devoré velvets and silks in Asian and African prints, patterns and embroideries, underscoring a mood of exploration, a curiosity about the world, and a fundamentally English eccentricity in dresses.

The curvilinear form of the Bar jacket is tailored close to the body, and abbreviated at the hip or echoed in grand gestures of cloth – a full sleeve, a gathered peplum or pocket on generous coats. The Bar is sometimes bisected, the basque wrapping the hips; other times the shape is transposed to draped tea dresses. Each detail is drawn from the oeuvre of Monsieur Dior, a reflection of the House’s storied past. Dior’s signature bow is pulled undone, passed through the décolleté or reverse like a foulard, to close and simultaneously embellish, adding a dynamic movement to strict shapes.