The beauty of London Fashion Week is its unpredictability. The city is brimming with design talents, and none of them are afraid to take chances. In the past, that’s resulted in runway shows that are fantastical and eclectic, but lacking wearable clothes. Not the case this season. (Surely, Net-a-Porter’s Natalie Massenet, who is now at the helm of The British Fashion Council, is partly to credit for the shift.)

From the city’s most anticipated shows, Christopher Kane and J.W. Anderson, to other staples on the London calendar like Matthew Williamson, Mary Katrantzou and Peter Pilotto, there was a new look of sophistication, ease, and luxury that hasn’t quite been there before.

On the luxury front, we were delighted to see an increased focus on eveningwear. Oscar dresses, perhaps? Christopher Kane trimmed his black nylon dresses with mink; Matthew Williamson, with his black feathered dress, created one of his most expensive dresses ever; Tom Ford, who we have come to expect luxury from, kept the bar high with those decadent fox coats in bright colors; Mary Katrantzou, London’s print queen, showed a collection void of her signature, eye-popping prints and instead, focused on ultra-luxe embellishments, laces, and jacquards. (We would love to see a leading lady dare to rock one of those Katrantzou’s metallic suits at the Oscars instead of a classic gown.) Even Meadham Kirchhoff, a label known for its cheeky and oftentimes wild runway shows, leaned towards decadence this season. Clothes were full of beautiful, hand-done details that were much prettier than in the past seasons. It was a play towards the commercial side of this business, no doubt, but also a major moment for the brand.

Another big moment of the week was the first Hunter runway show (yes, the Wellington boot brand), which is now under the direction of Alasdhair Willis, husband to Stella McCartney. Again, it was a meeting of fashion and function with models wearing rubber raincoats and heeled rain boots on the runways. And it would not be London Fashion Week without London’s behemoth brand, Burberry. Christopher Bailey, who is now the brand’s CEO as well, showed one of his more exciting collections in a long time. It was fun, flirty and included a great display of craftsmanship with those hand-painted bags and shoes.