Sequins were aplenty at Gucci Molly Goddard , and, of course, Halpern, where 30-year-old designer Michael Halpern is at the center of this renewed interest in shimmering embellishments, unabashed elegance, and hyper-femininity. Then, naturally, there was London Fashion Week favorite, Ashish, who takes sequins to the next-level. “Sequins have always been a protest for me," the designer said after his spring 2018 show . "It’s always been a revolution for me. A protest against blandness.” Adored for his explosively colorful and creative use of the small shiny discs throughout his career, Ashish's latest collection was considerably darker and dreamier, though that didn't stop it from shining. "We live in dark times. It was that Martin Luther King quote that in darkness, you see stars; it’s about finding hope in dark times. I wanted to channel that energy into something beautiful," he affirmed backstage. "I just felt like I don’t want to be celebrating colors because everything that is going on is just so dark. But in that darkness is hope, so there are still a million sparkles and sequins."