The NEWGEN space at 180 Strand is undeniably the beating heart of London Fashion Week. With the upcoming designers being shown throughout the week, there is a buzz around the building almost constantly.

Pauline Dujancourt has returned to the NEWGEN ranks this season with her first runway. With show support from Dr. Martens and Heist to name a few, her slot on the schedule has generated enough interest for the rows of seats to be filled. The show space is busy and the benches are cramped close together. The music is twinkly and towards the end, Billie Eilish begins warbling. The choice of music distracted me slightly but not enough to subtract from the clothes drifting by.

The models seemed like fairies, with their brushed-out curls, plum lips and glossed skin. The clothes add to this. With fluttering ribbons and torn silks, the skirts and blouses rippled along the catwalk. The knitwear was a soft mohair with relaxed, ballooning silhouettes. Lace and carefully woven details peeked through and glistened under the lights. The clothes are beautifully fragile. Even the handbags with their metallic crochet flowers looked airy.

Dujancourt had previously worked under Simone Rocha and Regina Pyo, gaining practical experience from her stints with these designers. With a shared celebration of femininity and the delicate, the influences of her time at these houses are clear in the collection. In 2022, she graduated from the Central Saint Martins MA course and shortly

after launched her own brand. In the two years since she has gone on to be an LVMH prize nominee and be stocked in Dover Street Market.

This collection was inspired by her Grandmother’s winter-blooming flowers and the intersection of grief and memories. Much like a flower blooming in winter, the splashes of red cut through the navy, charcoal grey and steel that made up the collection's main colour palette.

The show ended with the designer herself sprinting down the runway. Her smile was radiant. With guests such as Laura Weir, Sarah Mower and Pixie Geldof, it was an well attended affair. There is a certain skill in making clothes that are pretty without being fussy, and Pauline Dujancourt has managed to walk that line.