THE POWERFUL editor of US Vogue, Anna Wintour, arrived in London yesterday from New York.
The presence of Wintour, who is profiled in the current September Issue documentary, forced the international fashion world to focus on the city and its reputation for generating talent. Both she and Donatella Versace were judges at Fashion Fringe in Covent Garden, selecting the most promising of the season’s up-and-coming creative stars.
In the meantime, debates about size-zero models continued as a stylist on Mark Fast’s show refused to work with two plus-size models “because they did not have the right walk for the catwalk”.
But the heat had died down by the time Marios Schwab, the Greek-Austrian designer recently appointed creative director of iconic New York label Halston, showed yesterday.
His show was a study in proportion, pleating and layering, taking his cue from split-page books that allow the reader to mix and match various combinations.
Colours were soft and so were the flyaway fabrics such as chiffon and silk, kept in place with vertical and horizontal pleating. Typical of this high-rise dressing was a billowing pink skirt worn under a pleated silk mini skirt and topped with a rhinestone-studded jacket or cropped chainmail shirt. It was an utterly romantic, beautiful show and augurs well for his new challenge in the US.
London’s energy showed in the dizzying line-up of catwalk and salon presentations with disappointments as well as highlights. Richard Nicoll’s variations on a theme of fringed scarves and corseted jumpsuits seemed lacklustre, as did the debut bodycon show of David Komo, a Georgian designer.
But Graham Black’s British Raj collection with its jewel colours and military tailoring had a glamorous vibe, while Todd Lynn’s Tuareg-style leggings and skinny armoured leather jackets showed how he can cut a rock-star look from the colours of the Kalahari desert. Unique’s slashed leggings and sequinned rugby shirts, meanwhile, will keep TopShop’s tills ringing next summer.
Stalwarts who can remember when London Fashion Week began 25 years ago such as Betty Jackson, Nicole Farhi and Margaret Howell (now stocked in Ireland) all produced polished collections.
Today Burberry, the first British fashion company to enter the FTSE 100, will stage its much-vaunted comeback after showing in Milan for eight years.
"This is a very big deal for London," Stephen Quinn, publisher of British Vogue, said.
“This is a big international company and to be able to rest its case with confidence that it can work in London and be successful, that’s got to mean a lot.”
