London Brigade

"Face it lady, I'm younger and faster than you"

One of my main reasons for waiting until London Fashion Week ended before posting my favourite collections is that it just kept getting better. Both Holly Fulton and Mary Katrantzou provided memorable AW11 collections but the question on more lips than hips was how sustainable their ideas and designs might be. This season both of them have proved a magnanomous point. They are here to stay.

Holly Fultons' collection cemented her as the up and coming queen of over the top perfection. Her clothes were a bag of mixed media including a chequerboard print, zebra swatches, heavy shell embellishment and 1920's deco inspired prints. Striking a fine balance between aesthetic and shape is paramount in insuring the clothes don't come of as being 'tacky' and this is what Fulton has done so well. The clothes here are exciting - fresh colours, great silhouettes and the all important whopper dress. The mini in deco encrusted shells was fashion fabulous!

Mary Katrantzou had the fashion world drooling over her 'Kai Collection' for AW11 and although her SS12 collection showcased an all new shape and cut, for me it didn't have the same impact. Nevertheless it was one of the finer printed collections you will see this season. The garments are worked in such a way that they provide an optical illusion that you are watching through 3D glasses. The colours pop and the texture changes depending on your viewpoint. Overworked perhaps a little, the train element on the mini-dresses didn't leave me wanting more but one thing is for sure 'Mary, Queen of Prints' will provide one of the killer looks of the season year after year. The dip-dyed floral suit is a killer coffin outfit if you can't make it to St. Tropez but the winner here is the sculpted metalwork dress using car parts and 

If neither of these take your fancy, I suggest you take a trip down pastel lane with Nicole Farhi and her city chic sophisticated minimalist approach. If pastel is not for you and glam evening gowns is what you are after, look no further than Julian Macdonald and Alice Temperley where the collections oozed understated glamour!

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Holly Fulton

Mary Katrantzou