London Fashion Week, Look 1 - Tartan/Plaid

Corrie Nielsen AW12

Woo, we're on to London and I am quite impressed with myself - I took a random, uninformed and relatively unintelligent guess that after New York's surge of all things Downton Abbey *cough Ralph cough Lauren* that London was quite likely to fire back with a load of tartan and other patriotic nods to all things British.  I wasn't wrong!  

PPQ AW12 / Daks AW12

I suppose it isn't massively surprising - being British is so hot right now - the last 12 months have given us a lot of food for thought.  We're not in the Euro (that was a good decision after all), the recession is finally fading out and generally life is getting brighter.  Buying local/British is the 'vogue' thing to do - heritage fabrics, organic products and shopping at your local greengrocer is very much considered the thing to do. so it makes sense to translate that into the clothes - a real sense of how the Brits are feeling - 'Keep calm and carry on' message really does feel to have taken affect in the collections.  And I love it

Daks AW12 / J W Anderson AW12

J W Anderson AW12 / Margaret Howell AW12

Fashion wise it has also been a big year, McQueen made the wedding dress of the millenium (although they still show in Paris, boo) Victoria Beckham is doing incredibly well (in New York, boo again) and Erdem, Temperley and Topshop continue to go down crazily well with the fashion pack.

twenty8twelve AW12 / Vivienne Westwood AW12

McQ by McQueen started it with their tartan dress range for SS11 (worn by everyone from Rihanna to that angry one from Gossip Girl) - and I expected it from Westwood as patriotism is what Vivienne does best.  But other names like PPQ, Alice Temperley, Paul Smith, Margaret Howell and Twenty8Twelve followed suit.  Daks (who always show off their signature print) fitted in very well with their new AW12 collection too. 

Vivienne Westwood AW12 / Clements Ribeiro AW12

Even Topshop Unique and Jonathan Saunders alluded to the print with thier golf-jumper style knits and checker-prints.  Love the huge roll necks too - we've gone back to the eighties with these!

Jonathan Saunders AW12

Topshop Unique AW12

It's great to see Britain's best gain the confidence to show their heritage and not constantly trying to create a new identity.  There is a real sense of pride.  Loads of collections used twill and tweed too, another look I'll need to post about no doubt.  We're only 3 days in, and have some big shows today - who knows what that will bring?!  

 

South Molton St Style

xoxo