Dance meets martial arts at London Fashion Week

Cocktail dresses tied with karate belts set the tone at London Fashion Week on Sunday as Georgian designer David Koma produced a sleek catwalk mashup of dance and martial arts.

Lively violin music set a light and playful tone as models began to file out in Koma's spring-summer 2016 collection. Dresses were short, pleated and flared, with round necklines in cool shades of mint-blue and pastels, with contrasting textures from leather to transparent tulle.

A glamorous martial feel was in evidence in chain mail sequinned mini dresses and skirts, in vulnerable nude and deep blue colours. The reference to karate belts and tied kimonos was matched in the show's footwear, with models strutting the catwalk in heels with straps that tied around their ankles. "As always there is a power and strength, key to Koma's world," the brand puts it.

Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders also featured waist belts and kimono shapes in his bright and energetic collection. Dominated by bold geometric stripes and patterns, Saunder's collection debuted in a greenhouse lined with large mirrors that reflected the blue sky. The long dresses with sweeping diagonal lines of colour riffed on 1970s themes, with beige, reds, coral and lemon colours layered with bright contrasting prints. The shapes emphasised a long and flowing silhouette, with light, thin scarves knotted loosely around models' necks fluttering as they walked.

Later shows on Sunday include the new collection of British fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, in her Red Label collection. Another British fashion heavyweight, Burberry, is to follow on Monday, while it will offer sneak previews of the new collection on messaging service Snapchat as it reaches out to a young and tech-savvy market.

The 62nd edition of London Fashion Week is held in bustling Soho and will showcase over 150 designers by the time it wraps up on Tuesday. (AFP)