Leading up to London Fashion Week, the vibes, as the saying goes, were off. More than a few brands scrapped shows they had been planning and others forewent planning them at all. But any doom and gloom as fashion week approached did not deter the most passionate fans, whose eclectic attire in and outside shows nodded to London’s sartorial tradition of bucking convention.

Many spectators took inventive approaches to layering that had heads turning. Draping a saturated cable-knit sweater over a dark winter coat, for instance, or sandwiching a collegiate sweater between two button-up shirts. Some of the most interesting layered looks technically involved no layering at all. Instead, they included pieces with unique textures or fabrications that functioned as an optical illusion.

As for the clothes on the runways, the tumult surrounding this fashion week season seemed to have instilled in certain designers a motto of “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it — too much.”

Erdem Moralioglu showed the beautiful floral dresses his label is recognized for, along with some spectacularly shimmery creations fabricated with tinsel-like fringe. Simone Rocha’s romantic collection featured all manner of faux furs: some embellished dresses, some were used as scarves and one came in the form of a bra top modeled by Alexa Chung. And Edeline Lee, who is known for presenting her collections in elaborately choreographed performances, had models dueling with weapons that included fists, swords and high-heeled shoes.