It’s been a week for the bold and the beautiful, as London Fashion Week came, and within the blink of a fashion eye left, to turn the spotlight on yet another chic destination.

FashionTV takes a look back at the moments of magic and madness at London’s triumphant fashion week for SS13 collections.

What a show London Fashion Week turned out to be! Show being the dynamic word, as the week quickly advanced into an apocalyptic spectacle of styles, comebacks, newbies, and performances. We’re talking retractable roofs (Burberry), live brass bands (Antoni & Alison), light installations (Pilotto), and Max the poodle (Mulberry). And usually that means one thing:

Where there’s a spectacle show, there’s Lady Gaga. She was there, too.

Mad for Michael

On Sunday, Philip Treacy, artisan and king of millinery, came back to town after a decade away from London Fashion Week, and did so with magnificent style. His show, dedicated to Michael Jackson was opened by Lady Gaga, draped in pink shroud, who introduced the audience to Treacy as “the greatest milliner in the world.” His cast of all black models walked the runway at the Royal Courts of Justice, dressed in 37 pieces owned by Michael Jackson, including the infamous red Thriller costume. And fittingly, British model Jourdan Dunn was there on the catwalk to carry Treacy’s message of “black female empowerment.”

Less is More, or More is Less?

Another great moment of performance came from a woman who knows how to make an entrance, Vivienne Westwood. Plugging her climate revolution campaign through her Red Label, Westwood’s collection took play on Mad Men inspired outfits, the models faces painted in pink, green, blue, and yellow makeup, dolled-up in an array of wigs, and sauntering an effeminate collection of tulip dresses, silk cocktail gowns, sparkly one-piece bodysuits, and jaunty skirt suits. FashionTV loves the ‘50s!

Fashion Forward

Aside from all the showmanship, London Fashion Week is a serious player in the fashion forward game, hosting a richer selection of designers and labels than New York, Milan, and Paris, making the perfect platform for new designers to showcase and impress. Amongst the new names to showcase were Simone Rocha (Yes, John Rocha’s daughter) who combined her schoolgirl style with future-forward materials, and the unpredictable duo Meadham Kirchhoff who drew inspiration for their latest detail-tastic collection from Madame de Pompadour and ‘50s couture.

Past, Present & Future

The new collections of Spring designs seen this week celebrated a marriage of eras, amongst some of the labels: Burberry displayed a futuristic medley of metallic leathers with designs inspired by 100-year-old corsets, Erdem went for ‘50s peek-a-boo, PPQ fused the look of the swinging ‘60s with the ‘90s, and ‘70s disco fever at Jonathan Saunders turned up to revive the Noughties. Then there was Christopher Kane’s Frankenstein-inspired collection.

Perfect in Print

Fearless when it comes to mixing prints and textures, London Fashion Week payed homage to the power of print with British designers Peter Pilotto, Mary Katrantzou, and Issa making a bold statement with their SS13 collections. Pilotto’s ultra-modern and ornate prints inspired by illuminated manuscripts covered the models from head to toe, while native-born Greek Katrantzou put her stamp -- quite literally -- on London, displaying a stunning collection of her signature-cut dresses, tunics, and skirts, emblazoned with large prints of postage stamps and foreign currency. Joining the print parade, was Issa’s Amazonian Garden of Eden colored kaftans, jumpsuits, and one-shoulder gowns.

Keep Shining On

Trend-spotting at London Fashion Week is always a challenge, as the mishmash of creations, people, and artistry is too diverse and eclectic to pinpoint a single style. Yet one prevailing trend this fashion week that was hard to miss: the shiny, metallic, iridescent materials which appeared from day one; ranging from metallic shoes (PPQ), detailed accents (Preen), statement hologram pieces (Jonathan Saunders), and on the penultimate day -- a kaleidoscopic display of metallic trenches (Burberry).

London Fashion Week wrapped up on Tuesday, and saw models and celebrities like Kate Moss, Lana Del Rey, Alexa Chung, Rebecca Hall, and a host of others  flock to the front row at Mulberry’s celebrated new collection to top off the weeks fashion extravaganza -- a week that was delivered with a humorous British flair.

Keep yourself updated with what's happening here and now at Milan Fashion Week with FashionTV, as week three of fashion season begins in Milan!