Masha Popova bares all with provocative ‘Intimate Hours’ show at London Fashion Week

Hot pants, backless dresses and ultra-low rises dominated the runway. LifestyleFashionMasha Popova bares all with provocative ‘Intimate Hours’ show at London Fashion WeekHot pants, backless dresses and ultra-low rises dominated the runway.Lara Owen Saturday 21 February 2026 11:57 ESTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoveropen image in galleryMasha Popova showcased an intimate show at London Fashion Week (Ian West/PA)Your support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreMasha Popova bared all for autumn/winter 2026, sending out backless silhouettes, ultra-low rises and abbreviated hot pants beneath the stately ceilings of Charterhouse in one of London Fashion Week’s most provocative shows.Titled “Intimate Hours”, the collection explored the bedroom as a psychological space – a place where desire, boredom and memory quietly accumulate.That introspection played out in garments that felt simultaneously private and performative, with lingerie accents, sleepwear details and distressed denim colliding against the historic grandeur of the venue’s green-panelled walls and oil portraits.The Ukrainian-born London-based designer, known for her high-fashion denim, presented a smorgasbord of colours, cuts and textures, one of the first being a sheer-legged look in a fluid green-and-blue printed set: a halter top knotted into an exaggerated bow at the neck and paired with ruffled micro shorts worn over fine black tights. Slouched boots pooled around the ankles, fortifying the undone atmosphere.Hot pants were a recurring motif – a trend that seems to be cropping up across London Fashion Week runways. A blush-pink knit cardigan and matching shorts, belted low on the hips, were styled with voluminous, flame-bright hair feeling deliberately unruly.Denim – Popova’s signature – was pushed into more tailored territory. One look featured a halter-style denim top tied into a large bow across the chest, cut away at the midriff and paired with low-slung jeans secured by crossed leather belts that wrapped diagonally around the hips.Leaf motifs were embedded into the denim surface, hinting at the designer’s ongoing experimentation with treated fabrics.In another, a corset-like denim bodice with off-the-shoulder sleeves and visible red topstitching was worn with dramatically flared jeans that pooled at the floor.The silhouette combined architectural details with a grungy sensuality, reflecting Popova’s background in architecture and her ability to manipulate rigid fabrics into fluid forms.Sleepwear references were literal at times. A full-length hot-pink robe coat, plush and enveloping, was styled for the runway rather than the bedroom, its exaggerated collar and belted waist elevating the domestic into statement outerwear.The gown also featured an open back exposing the model’s underwear.Elsewhere, jersey was treated into near paper-thin layers, and knitwear – a newer addition to Popova’s vocabulary – appeared embossed and tactile.Popova, a Central Saint Martins BA and MA graduate who previously interned at Maison Margiela and Celine, has built her brand as a melting pot of late 20th century high fashion and 1990s-2000s rawness.Seen on Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and Bella Hadid, her work consistently combines elegance and irreverence.At Charterhouse, that tension felt particularly potent; the grandeur of the setting underscored the collection’s themes of privacy and exposure; bottoms revealed beneath structured dresses, sheer tights layered under abbreviated silhouettes and denim reworked into eveningwear.It seems for this collection, Popova’s woman is neither fully dressed nor fully undone. Instead, she occupies the liminal state between self-awareness and defiant display.More aboutLondonMaison MargielaCelineDua LipaBillie EilishMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next