London Fashion Week: Though the heat wave in London ended with a deluge yesterday, the mood at London Fashion Week was summery, fresh and upbeat - and it showed in every collection.
"Is there anything outrageous in there?" asked a man on the street eagerly as we poured out of Emma Cook's show, one of the new hotly tipped up-and-coming talents.
The shock factor, after all, is something people have come to expect from young London createurs, but there was little that would have raised an eyebrow at the modern elegance of Cook's polished collection, all chiffon prints, appliqué and deftly cut leathers.
As last year's camouflage prints revert back to real armies, the look is softer and more girlish. Jean Muir, who epitomises disciplined bourgeois refinement, was even showing a lighter, airier side.
Trim little peplum jackets and gored skirts in icy colours of peppermint and lilac came in opal spring tweeds, punched suede and wools with a hint of glitter.
Trousers, cropped and cuffed and thoroughbred-looking, were worn with lotus flower silk prints and languid off-the-shoulder cashmeres. It was cool, calm and very collectable.
Prim little suits are not the style of Paul Smith, the UK designer whose clever, witty takes on traditional British tailoring are very much his signature and who held his show on the 27th floor of an impressive new building in Earlscourt.
It's the cocky touch that marks him out: Jasmine Guinness' ladylike grey suit, for example, had a very sexy, very tight, ruched derriere and a backless striped shirt had a classic City front. Stripes, at which even Bridget Riley might baulk - particularly candy stripes - appeared on everything from strapless dresses to ankle socks and peep-toe platform shoes.
Butterfly prints, polka dot leggings and even white feathery skirts hinted at the new frivolity.
It was left to Betty Jackson to reinforce the point her way. Ribbons and bows, ruffles and frills, there was no end to the frippery, but all cleverly reigned into clothes that looked feminine and playful.
Prints and plain fabrics were mixed skilfully in ice cream colours, baby doll dresses were criss-crossed at the front with black ribbon and sequin-studded chiffon skirts swung from side to side. And of course, the classic bravura touches with linen and leather left those lonely for black satisfied.
But the real treats - the real ice cream sundaes - were to come. Tracey Boyd's show was a riot of tutti frutti colour, all strawberry prints, puff sleeves, pleated minis and pastel knits.
The colour charge in this former fashion illustrator's collection was a powerful one. Sequinned 50s skirts, pleated minis, cute stripey cardigans - her show had every shade of colour and was full of sunny optimism. Even the stilettos were red metallic and sassy little girl dresses had a teenage spirit.
But as the grey skies gathered and the rain beat down on the pavements outside, all the genuine kitten-heeled fashionista needed was her starter: a bright neon yellow waterproof with red trim made in Gore-Tex.
