I somewhat wimped out of doing a show report for Milan, choosing mainly to coo over the images yet keep my opinions to myself. I don’t know if it’s because it directly follows London, or because the Italian fashion week style is so sumptuous, detailed and downright manic, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to settle down to it. But of course, I had to mention my favourites, which fell pretty much in line with the rest of the fashion press: Dolce and Gabbana at the top, and Versace’s baby sister line Versus as a close second, owing mainly to my affection for one Mr Kane.

The fabulous D&G duo stripped back fashion pretension and headline-grabbing stunts to return to their Italian chic tailoring roots with a collection that had editors in raptures (and tears) and everyone else reminiscing about the ‘good old days’ of high-quality design houses and true fashion skills. Style.com referred to the technique of showing their classics and how they make them as ‘simple, yet moving’ and many editors pinned it as the best show of the season so far. I now covet the oversize yet immaculately fitted black tuxedo jackets and beautiful lace-trimmed slips. The hair and make-up was mostly vintage and relaxed, keeping the focus completely on the beautiful clothes.

Over at Versus, Christopher Kane also used went vintage with classic Versace inspiration to create the collection of party girl classics with the usual Italian twist. However, although Kane focused on the young woman image, the clothes were flattering and fresh instead of going straight to short, tight and splendid (which were included but not exclusively). Skirts were a particularly good feature, reminding me of one of Kane’s own early collections which included skater skirts. My favourite look was the flared skirt with heavier leather biker jacket, creating a harder silhouette than the frou frou of the skirts.

Also going back to classics was Prada, who caused quite a stir by declaring that their designs should be ‘normal’ clothes and therefore tried to stay mostly away from styling their runway with the usual waifs. Although the models chosen were still Those of Fantastic Bodies, the girls did give more of a Nineties feel to the looks: uber models for an uber brand. Among them were Miranda Kerr and Lara Stone, two of the bright young hits of the catwalk scene. And now it has been reported that Giles Deacon wants the same attitude from his runway, using many models that also work as Angels for Victoria’s Secret, including Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley, Alessandra Ambrosio and Karolina Kurkova.

I would have loved to have been a fashionable fly on the wall at the recent media viewing of the very hush-hush Topshop beauty launch, which will happen in May. Although it is no secret that the high-street giant were planning to finally branch out into make-up, it has been kept under wraps exactly what the collection will look like, although I’m sure it will be as huge a hit as any new Topshop invention or collaboration has been over recent years. The only thing known is that the range is going to be big, and will include a huge array of colours (very Mac I’m sure) as well as season-led trend bits and bobs to complement the basic product range. Can’t wait!

For once, I found that I could have written pretty positive things about almost every show from last Friday to yesterday, and waxed lyrical about a good few (which I will), unlike the New York shows where I found myself either completely in love or slightly indifferent. And I always love the fabulous themes that the London-based designers pull off! We had Napoleonic Paris at Aggugini, Mary Katrantzou showed her signature digital prints with the added twist of the portraits of Madame Pompadour, autumn leaves and bright florals at the beautiful Erdem, and ‘Priscilla Presley and juvenile delinquents’ (yes, really) at Christopher Kane.

So let’s start with the big show of the week – Burberry, which didn’t disappoint at all. I’m not the only fan of the label who believes that Burberry is London and should stay put on our fashion schedule, but we’ll have to wait and see. But for the autumn/winter 2010 collection Christopher Bailey took a different route from the delicate, puff shoulder trenches and shiny, pastel palette and found his inspiration in ‘uniforms and cadet girls’. The coats and boots were the absolute hits of the show, and everything wanted one of the military, shearling collared coats to accompany them around London in this bitter, wet weather. There were also slimmer, more ‘dress military’ jackets with a row of gold buttons and epaulets. I felt the warm and cosiness when one model came down the runway in a giant shearling jacket over fitted dress with last season’s ruched skirt detail and thigh-high black boots. Cosy sexiness? Yes indeed.

Over at Antonio Berardi, the theme was more sexy sexiness. I loved the oversize tuxedo jackets worn as dresses, and the dresses made from velvet and sheer chiffon, although I preferred the ones with more substantial panels rather than the nipple-peeking lace and sheer tops. There was also a monochrome section of dresses in bold black and white panels which were figure-hugging and elegant: I can practically see someone like Victoria Beckham buying three or four…

Peter Pilotto was one of the stars of the last London Fashion Week, and a favourite of mine, and he proved similarly capable this year. Previously focusing on cocktail wear and similarly ‘evening’ fashion, he said that they wanted to have the same popularity over a breadth of daywear and tailoring as well, which was exactly what he showed this time around. There were still the dresses that we recognise as Pilotto, along with splashes of brights against a neutral colour palette. For the daywear, I particularly liked the panelled skirt suits made from leather and Harris tweed and the more deconstructed dresses that were more day than evening, with strips of contrasting fabrics and splatters of digital prints.

Delinquent juveniles may not immediately scream fashion, but it certainly translated at Christopher Kane. The clothes were nothing short of design miracles in that the inclusions of leather, lace and embroidery could have so easily looked cheap, but in Kane’s capable hands they did not. The florals came with a Chinese influence that actually, (deep breath) I wasn’t all that keen on, but the collection looked so polished and together that it is hard not to praise Kane’s design talents either way.

Ah, Erdem. Beautiful, gorgeous, floral, it would have been samey if it wasn’t so amazingly pretty. The florals were traditional Erdem: wistfully fairytale princess and delicately structured but this time in a selection of autumn colours. I also loved the contrast with the thick, dark socks and clumpy boots. Erdem’s front row was noticeably short of ‘It’ girls but is now becoming known as the First Ladies label of choice, with both Samantha Cameron and Sarah Brown watching.

Kinder Aggugini has worked for the likes of Vivienne Westwood and John Galliano, and so the historicism of his Napoleonic Paris inspired collection seems perfectly logical. Tim Blanks of Style.com thinks that this will be Aggugini’s breakthrough collection and I think he might be right. The theme went right through the collection without overbearing it, delicate, lightweight empire-line dresses in simple fabrics, and oversize military jackets with cape-like sleeves on some that gave a flattering silhouette – very easy-to-wear.

After causing a stir last September for his use of plus-size models, Mark Fast once again put a varied cross-section of model figures down the runway, a move that he should be applauded for in that it makes the variation seem ‘usual’ rather than a one-season coup. His skills with knitwear are his best feature so it was good to see the traditional clinging knits, flippy skirts and contrasting textures with the odd poncho thrown in, or flowing scarves accessorising the looks.

Mary Katrantzou is now renowned for her digital prints, but she is creative enough to realise that her signature print on a t-shirt dress might quickly become the only thing she is known for and so used new mixes of prints on her mini-dresses, and then teamed them with flowing trousers or oversize jackets (possibly a LFW trend for the winter season!). The prints were stunning, and had a little bit of McQueen talent with digital looks and sculpturing in the collection that many editors noticed, which is surely a huge compliment for Katrantzou.

I could ramble on for the rest of the day dissecting my favourite looks, but I’ll stop here. Other shows that deserve rambles are Roksanda Illincic, Holly Fulton, Jonathan Saunders and many many more…

First up, let’s start with the classics – in both actress and designer terms. The ever-chic Kristin Scott Thomas managed to make a traditional evening gown look relaxed and understated, even though she was established-label heavy with dress and cape by Louis Vuitton and clutch by YSL. The lovelier-every-year Kate Winslet may not have been up for an award this time around, but she pulled off an immaculate red carpet look in Stella McCartney simple black, with delicate lace panels at the sides. She kept her hair wavy, tousled and loose to keep the whole look sexy yet fresh.

One of the big winners of the night was Carey Mulligan, who got her hands on the best actress award for her role in An Education. Reviews have been mixed about her floral full-length Vionnet gown, with one editor chastising the choice (apparently she should have chosen British labels) and some in the US commenting that the dress was too old for a young girl. In my opinion the dress was actually a fresh, young choice for the petite actress, especially with the slinky cut and heavy pattern. Many younger women stray into the ball-gown territory which can look severe, or set out to be too sexy which can also age them. Mulligan’s gown played up to her cute, elfin looks perfectly.

One of my other favourite dresses of the evening came courtesy of Rebecca Hall, there to present an award, who chose a stunning, sculptured black dress by Gianfranco Ferre. As I watched her take to the stage on television the dress looked elegant and the shapes worked, with the sharp shoulders and fitted waist. Unfortunately none of the print photos seem to have done it justice, proving that a beautiful dress can often be overlooked in the press, especially in black, if the detailing is hard to translate from real to photographic life. However, Rebecca Hall looks like a vintage Hollywood starlet as it is, and with the black gown, Forties waved hair and jewels she looked classy and confident.

I haven’t seen Claire Danes around in a while, and was surprised by her silver Burberry gown and red lips, as I tend to remember her as a demure star of the red carpet. But surprise is not displeasure, and I thought the colour complemented her skin wonderfully, allowing her to carry off the red lips and blonde hair without becoming washed out. Another ‘oh!’ moment came when I saw Anne-Marie Duff, another suspect for not really standing out on the red carpet, who looked stunning in Alberta Ferretti, which hugged her pregnancy curves and gave her an enviable décolletage.

The jury’s out on Audrey Tautou’s pink Lanvin number. I adore Tautou and I love Alber Elbaz and Lanvin, but wondered if perhaps the pink ruffles were a little too froufrou for a French girl who so often oozes understated Euro-chic appeal. And as she did so well in playing Coco Chanel in the film that was the basis for the appearance, I would have loved her to wear vintage Chanel for the outing. Perhaps at the Oscars?

Unfortunately, no points are awarded from me to Kristen Stewart, who was wearing Chanel. She was deserving of the Rising Star award, but took to the red carpet with unwashed-looking hair and smudged makeup, which did nothing to lift the relatively sedate strapless number, which was not flattering to her figure or her new stature in the acting community.

Over to the gents, and all the imaginary points I have go to the delectable Colin Firth (my eye candy of choice with no Clooney present) who not only gave the best speech of the night but who looked as trim, toned and sexy as he did as George in A Single Man, this time wearing, of course, a Tom Ford tux. Yum yummy yum.

Rarely does a show exceed the expectations of those coming to see it. It is either hyped up and liable to fall flat, or cause a fashion stir that is tempered by the very fact that everyone hoped it would cause a stir. After all, fashion people are a hard bunch to please. But either I missed the hype surrounding Preen, or the collection did indeed wildly exceed expectations. It has always been popular, and the talents of the designers Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi often commended, but this season they finally did their creative minds justice with a collection that seemed to unanimously please editors and give a real sense of a fresh aesthetic when we finally get around to autumn. The overriding look was ‘peekaboo’ skin through cut-out panels, mostly on the torso, leaving a strapless-bra shaped section of fabric left. Despite the flashes of skin the pieces were understatedly sexy; nothing as overt as the corseted, sexual shapes created by Berardi et al during the last shows, but silky slips of fabrics were still popular here. One of my favourite outfits came courtesy of a silky negligee style slip under oversize, mannish blazers.

Playing with different volumes of fabric and shape was a success for Preen, as it was for Fashion Week darling and Anna Wintour-approved Alexander Wang. Vest tops and other flesh-flashing pieces were teamed with blazers, tailcoats and thick ribbed leg-warmers which gave an interestingly chic yet desexualised femininity, again in contrast from the flirtatious sheer fabrics used by designers for spring/summer. In fact, the use of heavier pieces such as masculine coats and jackets and thick fabrics is giving a distinctly androgynous, layered aesthetic to New York Fashion Week: is this a winter trend emerging? Another definite trend, one that has grown in use since its appearance in the spring shows is for velvet. I’m not altogether a fan of velvet – slightly too reminiscent of a six-year-olds birthday outfit but if anyone can make it work, Wang can. And he has legions of fans to help make his designs work in real life: a fashion starry front row turned out, including Scott ‘Sartorialist’ Schuman, Garance Dore, Tavi, Alice Dellal, Pixie Geldof and Diane von Furstenberg.

Speaking of the design doyenne, DvF was also showing a penchant for the masculine look with her own collection. The quote at the top of the show notes read, ‘I’ve always wanted to live a man’s life in a woman’s body’, which explains the contrast in this collection between masculine shapes and feminine fabrics. Yet another fan of menswear pieces in a womenswear collection was Jason Wu who, like von Furstenberg, teamed many of his looks with tuxedo jackets, but the outerwear message was also extended into parka-styles and oversize cashmere coats. Although his now trademark sportswear message was still evident, and the outerwear was admired, many editors weren’t feeling the Irving Penn inspiration behind the collection, with Cathy Horyn saying that the homage ‘just didn’t work’. From my humble, lowly blogging opinion I’m inclined to agree: many of the pieces just looked a little confused and the textures appeared jumbled rather than artfully contrasted. But it doesn’t stop certain individual looks from working, and the ladylike outfits (cocoon skirts and delicate blousers with oversize necklaces and grey tights) were a break from the harder masculinity.

Going right over to the other side of the masculine/feminine spectrum, Victoria Beckham – the Woman Who Knows Her Dresses – showed yet another clean, crisp and much coveted collection, still holding off those editors who are dying to peg her a fashion one hit wonder. For those lucky enough to see it first hand, Victoria talked them though each dress confidently and with an easy fashion vocab. She is no ‘face’ of this brand; she is checking every visible zip and curve of fabric to mould it to exactly what she wants. The inspiration was 1940s femme fatale, the signature aesthetic for the collection much like her own personal style these days; smooth lines, elegant curves and vintage sex appeal: more Jean Paul Gaultier perfume bottle than flesh-revealing WAG.

Another designer paying homage to a vintage era (I was getting a strong Kristen Scott Thomas in Gosford Park aura) was Carolina Herrera. If I’m honest I’m no diehard fan of Herrera’s, but this collection was beautifully traditional for her, playing to her design strengths in elegant shapes, amazing shapes for sleeves and a distinctly ladylike feel, even with the trousers. One of my top models, Karen Elson, was the perfect vessel for this look: effortlessly working the Forties aristocratic heroine nonchalance. Also for the first time I took notice more of the daywear than evening gowns, something Ms Herrera is often noted for. I would much prefer to take afternoon tea in one of the delicate floral tops and voluminous trousers, teamed with (in my case definitely fake) fur, than work the red carpet in one of the statement dresses.

Ever since the likes of Keira Knightley et al wore their beautiful creative dresses, Rodarte have been causing a fashion week stir with their focus on layering delicate materials and their fairytale heroine appeal. Their autumn/winter collection did have many of these trademark pieces, but with an earth, Mexican look (the girls explained that their inspiration was a desire to learn about their Mexican roots). I have to admit, I wasn’t such a fan, owing mainly to the fact that I kept Rodarte in the ‘ethereal goddess’ section of my fashion vocabulary and I wasn’t ready to see the collection follow so closely to a theme. However, the pieces were still individually beautiful and, as always, had the exquisiteness of a Renaissance artist’s imagination and talent.

Completely at a contrast to the acres of artistic fabrics and intricate talents of the Rodarte girls came a much coveted and surprisingly sure collection from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, for their label The Row. The clothes have not come cheap, the fledging label pricing itself far out of reach of the Olsen’s original fan base, but they are now becoming known for a luxury quality in the simple yet expensive looks of their fabrics. The collection was almost exclusively black, each piece individually wearable and styled well with other pieces. A long leather t-shirt here, a tuxedo jacket or voluminous silky trousers there, it can all be seen as effortless daywear for those lucky enough to afford it.

Going back to the big-timers, one of the best shows came from fashion’s favourite maverick Marc Jacobs, who this time refused to let the showmanship overcome the clothes, specifically not inviting any celebs that may detract the attention from his work. It didn’t stop his usual audience pleasing set design though, which this time had a distinctly post-modernist feel, designed like the inside of a cardboard box. At the start of the show, Marc and his business partner Robert Duffy tore off the brown paper from a large box at the back of the catwalk to reveal all the models inside. He may have been metaphorically stripping back the pretensions that often come with fashion week, but he certainly didn’t do away with his fashion magic – the collection was hailed universally as a success. Colours came either in the dark palette of dark blue, black, charcoals and greys or golden cream hues. There was no specific theme to the show, nor any major trend. Jacobs focused on the shape and style of individual pieces, which meant they stood at on their own and worked as part of the outfit shown on the runway.The most talked about aspect was how wearable everything was, a strange concept to us mere mortals, as surely one hopes that your collection would be wearable or no-one would buy it. But whilst many judge a collection’s success on how much artistic license was stretched, perhaps in a Viktor and Rolf or Gareth Pugh kinda way, the very fact that Marc Jacobs kept his collection full of pieces that could be worn individually or as the perfect catwalk outfits was the key to its success. And if I could find a way to get my paws on one of the grey winter coats, I would be very happy indeed.

The Marc Jacobs show is always hotly anticipated, but this season so was Halston, with Marios Schwab at the helm. Many commented on how, although Schwab didn’t seem overly preoccupied with using the Halston archives for inspiration, he did succeed in creating strong, statement pieces for the women that covet the strongly feminine yet chic Halston attitude of the 1970s. After yet another feminine/masculine aesthetic (this time less androgynous, more power woman: bold colours and clean lines that complement the female figure), I couldn’t help but think that feminism and a female strength seemed to be inspiration for New York this season, and that we like to see.

Marios Schwab may not have used an overt Seventies creativity for Halston, but Zac Posen, despite his label’s financial woes, showed a colourful, flirty collection that had, to me at least, the Studio 54 Seventies Bianca Jagger style that I had previously expected at Halston. But apparently I was a few decades out and the inspiration came from the 1940s, with fur detail, flippy skirts and party dresses alongside elegant trousers. Now I’m not usually a trouser sort of gal, but the soft, full legged slouchy versions (not quite high-fashion trackies, not really wide-legs or pegs) were flattering and had the ‘easy to wear’ styling that should be so desirable for winter.

And of course, where would the New York fashion scene without Donna Karan? Her signature label is twenty-five years old this year, which meant she could delve back into her many years of show experience for some Donna Karan nostalgia. Her seminal Seven Easy Pieces collection was mostly black, as was the majority of the pieces on offer this time around. The draped dresses were particularly effortless, fantastically flattering skirt shapes, hemlines and plenty of black tights. She also played with the contrast of shape – huge flouncy ruffle collars against skinny shirt shapes and smooth coats. In fact I really loved the proportions of many of the looks, huge coats over skinny black trousers and bell shaped skirts with ankle boots and cropped jackets. The best shows from New York all played with shape and contrast this season, a great way to play with layering fabrics and colours for the winter weather and a trend that I look forward to playing around with.

Don’t hate me if your favourite show wasn’t reviewed here! Just let me know and I’ll give you my very humble opinion. Now let’s gear up for London baby….

At the start
McQueen’s tailoring skills are unsurprising when you combine oodles of natural talent with a stint on Savile Row. He then went through Central St Martins, launching his first collection in 1992. The great fashion doyenne Isabella Blow sat on the stairs during his 1994 show and was transfixed by the quality of his work, and as fashion legend has it, bought the entire collection, which was then delivered to her in bin-bags. In 1995 he shot onto the media stage with his infamous ‘bumster’ trousers, so low that they flashed a hint of bum cleavage. Whereas these days young women are ridiculed for wearing ill-fitting, thong-scraping jeans, in the mid-nineties McQueen was merely making a statement against the consensus aesthetic that the rest of the fashion industry had subscribed to, earning him the slightly overused moniker ‘enfant terrible’ of fashion week.

Family Trees and Salem Witches
One of the things that made McQueen’s collections so heartfelt was the personal touches he included, either from his own life or history. For his autumn 2007 show the theme was based around Salem witches, after his mother traced the family tree back to a victim of the Salem witch trials in 1692. Many commented that the collection was conceptually very angry and dark, and some editors weren’t fans, but all agreed that the garments could have jumped from a tragic medieval painting - testament to McQueen’s skills with fabric, cut and colour.

Tribute to Isabella Blow
After the death in 2007 of his mentor and supporter Isabella Blow, McQueen dedicated his spring 2008 show to her, including a stunning collection of millinery creations alongside his outfits – all of which had the vintage wasp-waisted, immaculate style-with-a-twist of Blow. The collection was a success, not just because of the theme, but because McQueen had gone back to his Savile Row tailoring techniques and had whipped garments into flawless shapes and drapes. Sarah Mower of style.com wrote in her report that the designer had ‘honoured his mentor by striving to bring out the best in himself’.

Always a Showman
McQueen became as famous for his showmanship and ability to delight audiences as for his design skills, with notable catwalks including a post-modernist human chess game using the models in 2005, and a medieval shipwreck scene in 2003. Veteran show-goers will never forget the show from 1998 when model of the moment Shalom Harlow stood on a rotating platform, as robot machines spray painted the white ball-gown she wore, to the applause of the audience. And to finish the autumn 2006 show, everybody became transfixed on a glass pyramid as a hologram of a billowing white dress and ethereal model came alive – the hologram was of Kate Moss, and once again the audience broke out in applause as the apparition faded away.

Scottish Tartan and Anglomania
In the early nineties, McQueen’s ‘Highland Rape’ show caused a stir amongst fashion editors and the watching media, and he revisited this aesthetic in his autumn 2006 show, centred this time around a fantasy Scottish ‘princess’ look, full of draped fabrics, tartans and exquisite head-pieces, rather than the darker, moodier pieces of his early career. The tartan look was a huge success, with Sarah Jessica Parker wearing a complete McQueen look for the Anglomania Costume Institute Gala in New York in 2006.

‘McQueenadillos’ and Lady Gaga
The spring 2010 collection, shown last September, was another triumph of combined showmanship and technological creativity. The theme was Plato’s Atlantis, and the dresses were a combined effort of digitally created prints, bright clashes of colour and models braving the length of the runway in what were affectionately referred to as McQueenadillos: huge ten inch curved platform shoes, many of which had the shape and texture of an armadillo. The show had an overall modernist, digital theme, with SHOWstudio streaming the catwalk live, and huge plasma screens, held in place by giant robots, showing a film of Raquel Zimmerman lying on the sand as snaked writhed across her.

It was at this time that Lady Gaga had found McQueen, reminding everybody of why he had thrived on his relationship with Isabella Blow, a lady equally famous for her fashion daring and stylistic touches (including her hats and head-dresses, something that Lady Gaga emulates). It was the avant-garde singer that first got her hands on a pair of the McQueenadillos to wear in her ‘Bad Romance’ video, a shade before high-fashion priestess Daphne Guinness strode out in hers.

The Silk Skull Scarf
One of the most simple yet iconic McQueen pieces (and one that has reportedly been selling out in stores following the news of his death) is the silk skull-print scarf. Skull imagery was often used in his early shows; with the gothic touch arguably one of his lasting legacies. Variations on the skull print have been seen on everybody from Kate Moss to Johnny Depp, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more A-list fashionistas stepping out in theirs as a mark of respect and appreciation of McQueen’s brand and talent.

Britain’s Next Top Model Host
Have we Brits found our Tyra finally? Taking over from Lisa Snowdon as the host of Britain’s Next Top Model is none other than uber-super model Elle Macpherson. She may be famously known as The Body but she seems to have fashion brains as well: she is also going to be producing the show, as well as keeping up the good work with her underwear collection and modelling agency. Macpherson said of her new gig, “I’m really enthusiastic…we are looking forward to finding the face that can represent the next generation.” Let’s hope that as the new face of BNTM Elle can bring some much-needed super-glamour to our version of Tyra’s hit show.

Hot New Covers
Wow! After the dirge of safe magazine covers in January and February, the new issues hitting the stands this week are really excelling themselves. First up, we have none other than the super of supers, Cindy Crawford, showing those young frail models how it’s really done of the cover of Harper’s Bazaar UK. Inside the issue she says that at 43, she thinks she is ‘holding it together pretty good’. Truly a supermodel understatement we think. Across the pond lazing on the cover of Vanity Fair are the next generation of Hollywood women, a famous cover that has previously featured everyone from Julianne Moore to Nicole Kidman, on its first Hollywood cover in 1995. This year sees Bright Young Things including Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried and Rebecca Hall in beautiful dresses in true, Hollywood glamour style.

CFDA Fashion Incubator Award
The prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America is the US equivalent of the British Fashion Council, home to those that can give the most help and advice to young designers starting out in the big bad world of fashion. Similar to the BFA’s New Generation prize, the CFDA has announced nominees for its Fashion Incubator Award, which will bestow the winner with publicity and half-price rent on studio space in New York. The nominees may not be recognisable now, but whoever wins will surely be on everyone’s lips come fashion week. Those nominated include CFDA/Vogue funding winner Sophie Theallet, who is already causing waves with her beautifully cut dresses and luxurious fabrics. The full list is: 1. Alice Ritter 2. Bibhu Mohapatra 3. Prabal Gurang 4. Sophie Theallet 5. Rachel Dooley 6. Grant Krajecki of Grey Ant 7. Warris Ahluwalia of House of Warris 8. Joel Diaz with Jolibe 9. Alison Lewis 10. Dao-Chi Chow & Maxwell Osborne of Public School 11. Yuvi Albert & Danna Kobo of Ruby Kobo 12. Justin Guinta of Subversive Jewellery.

London Fashion Week countdown
Yes we know, it only feels like yesterday since the frantic show reports from September, but it’s that time again and although by the end of the week you want to crawl under a dark rock, we of the selective fashion memory are getting excited all over again. Fashion East, the platform for young new designers to showcase their talents, gets more and more press attention every season, with Victoria Beckham attending September’s show. For the new season, the line-up includes Michael van der Ham, Heikki Salonen and milliner Nazir Mazhar – the man responsible for Lady Gaga’s extravagant orb head-dress. The million dollar question is: will she attend Fashion East and lend him her support? There’s one head-dress lover you wouldn’t want the misfortune to sit behind…

So, the Golden Globes 2010 kicked off in the middle of the night GMT, on a rainy LA evening. Often seen as the indication of who will win at the Oscars next month, they are also a great judge of which catwalk trends have transferred onto the red carpet. And I’m pleasantly surprised but pleased to report that the dresses were varied and interesting, unlike last year’s recession-influenced awards gowns. One sombre trend was to wear red, yellow and blue ribbons in memory of Haiti victims, with gorgeous George Clooney making a plea to the press to dig deep and give money and aid to the traumatised country.

The winners of the night were perhaps not so surprising, with Avatar scooping the big prize for Best Picture and James Cameron winning Best Director. Other winners included the fabulous Meryl Streep and comedy queen Sandra Bullock.

But back to the fashion! It was a tough call but my favourite dresses of the night were from the ever-elegant Cameron Diaz in red Alexander McQueen, and the lesser-recognised Rose Byrne in purple Lanvin, looking like a Forties Hollywood screen siren complete with vintage-looking jewels and waved hair. Current t5m fashion crush, Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks could have been overwhelmed by her peach, ruffled Christian Siriano number, but her fantastic Monroe-esque figure and red locks kept her firmly in the vintage red carpet camp.

One particular trend hot off the catwalks was the sensual lingerie look. Flashing your knickers is definitely a no-no, but a peek of lace or sheer fabric is totally en vogue. Sandra Bullock flashed some leg through her purple shimmering fabric, and Maggie Gyllenhaal wore fleshy peachy pink with soft layers of silky chiffon. It may be revealing more than usual, but this trend still has to be pulled off with class. Top marks go to our favourite French actress Marion Cotillard, whose chose to flash some leg and a hint of petticoat in a stunning deep blue/green Dior number.
Pink was the surprising colour choice for many: you need some daring to clash with the red carpet. Diane Kruger wore the brightest shade in Christian Lacroix, and Emily Blunt (looking gorgeous with relaxed styling and minimal jewels) chose a strapless pale pink version with a flowing ruffled hem. On the dark side, Helen Mirren, as ever, looked stunning in black vintage Armani, proving that noire doesn’t have to be boring. Penelope Cruz might need to pick up some tips though, as she was almost forgettable in her black Armani Prive.

And finally, the Hollywood youngsters such as Chace Crawford may have pulled off a tux nicely, but they’ll never eclipse the one and only Mr Clooney, wearing an Armani tux complete with an Italian model on his arm. He even managed to pull off a beard. Sigh.

First up, if you, like the majority of shoppers, are fed up of the sales and the mess of markdowns now on offer, do not fear! Keep your eyes open for the fantastic post-sale Cruise collections that fill the void before the new season hits with a vengeance. Most designers stick to the ‘cruise’ theme, and we can all get our inspiration from Chanel and the striped tops and cute dresses (perfect if you are actually lucky enough to be boarding boat/plane and leaving our icy shores for a winter holiday). The high-street stores also do their own version of inter-season lines, so keep your eyes peeled for the things not under huge red sale signs and you might just be ahead of the pack.

Some labels do know how to create a frenzy around new lines though: including Mulberry, who launch the much-anticipated Alexa bag on Monday 11^th January. A long-standing fan of the brand, Alexa Chung has carried a men’s Mulberry satchel-style bag for a while now, and Emma Hill and her creative team decided to honour their fashionable muse with her own namesake version. Word on the street seems to suggest that oak is the colour to covet, but if you are fan of the slightly more avant garde then you could go for patent leopard print instead.

New Year and new season means new adverts in our glossy magazines, and top of the pile is Emma Watson in her second campaign for Burberry. The images are young and fresh, with Miss Watson looking model-esque in a variety of spring trenches, including a fantastic lilac, round-shouldered take on classic Burberry. And making his model debut is her brother Alex, who seems to take after his big sister with pouting lips and glossy hair. Apparently the young Watson has been signed to a model agency so we will be surely seeing more of him on billboards soon.

Barbour might be an iconic British brand relatively unchanged since its conception, but the countrysiders’ jacket has become an established part of the style icon’s wardrobe over the years, with the likes of Alexa Chung and Kate Moss et al taking their cue from the Queen when stepping out, from London to Glastonbury. And now it’s going to get a fashionable twist in the form of a collaboration with another British treasure, Anya Hindmarch. Latest press releases say that Hindmarch will create four jackets for the Barbour brand, and will be using her memories of her British childhood to stay true to tradition whilst adding a dash of the Hindmarch chic that has been so popular in her accessories collections.

And finally, the Fashionable Folk are doing well once again in the eyes of Queen, with milliner Stephen Jones and designer of beautiful dresses Amanda Wakeley received OBEs in the New Year’s Honours List, alongside Cath Kidston and Luella Bartley.

The designers we’ll be watching:
Those in the know think young, new designers will be the way forward in 2010. 2009 was all about the Big Guns making a comeback, from Antonio Berardi to Christopher Bailey and Matthew Williamson, but now there is a group of young designers making us all weak at the knees in a way that hasn’t happened since Christopher Kane and Giles Deacon hit the catwalks a few years back. We predict that 2010 will be the year of Peter Pilotto, Holly Fulton and Sophie Theallet. In November, Theallet won the coveted CFDA/Vogue funding, including $200,000 and a year’s mentoring from industry veterans. Her attention to tailoring and detail will therefore be able to make more of an impression on the fashion week circuit, and will almost certainly win a few high-level followers along the way. Peter Pilotto has also had a great end to 2009, winning the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Ready-to-Wear at the British Fashion Awards, and can count original supermodel Claudia Schiffer among his fans. His spring 2010 won high praise from critics, mostly for his signature flattering, short and well-cut dresses. He also works with great prints, using them to complement the cut or style of the garments rather than overbear them. Finally, Holly Fulton is also making a splash on the British fashion industry, with the rest of the world’s fashion followers to be tackled next year. She won an Emerging Talent award for her accessories, which are as strong as her ready-to-wear collections, featuring modern technological prints and which won the praise of one Ms Victoria Beckham. Definitely one to watch.

And still hot from 2009…
With Burberry staying in London for the February shows, Christopher Bailey does not seem to be fading into the fashion woodwork as the New Year approaches. We predict a fashion scrum for the autumn/winter 2010 show, complete with the entire roster of A-list celeb fans and fashion devotees.

Our fashionable muses for 2010 will be:
1) Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. Fantastical fashion was all over the catwalks during the spring shows, from Kinder Aggugini’s giant cartoonish hats to Galliano’s ethereal, mystical creations. The hazy, Opium-induced fantasy world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland provides another perfect imaginative pot for fashion inspiration. And with Tim Burton directing, and Johnny Depp starring, we know that the costumes will be as amazing as the storyline is. Roll on March!
2) Florence Welch. Although with her Machine, Florence kicked up a storm during 2009, her fashion was somewhat overlooked in favour of the ultra-groomed and glam facades of Cheryl Cole and Victoria Beckham. But as Marie Claire declares 2010 the year of the ‘hot mess’, we’re inclined to agree, we find the dishevelled, understatedly sexy style of Florence in her Victorian petticoats and mediaeval princess dresses much more chic for the new year than spending hours in front of the mirror trying to create Cheryl-esque waves. Other ‘hot mess’ muses include Ashley Olsen and her ‘couture bag lady’ look, and Daisy Lowe’s ‘I just rolled out of bed’ mussed-up hair and smudged eye-liner.
3) Carrie Bradshaw and the SATC2 girls. It seems to obvious to get excited about, but you know that come May, women of all ages will be cramming into theatres, not just to see what else exactly can happen to Carrie and Big’s relationship, but what will she be wearing when it pans out? Still shots from filming have been all over the internet for months now, and we’re pre-emptively getting excited about Halston Heritage and more Eighties style thanks to Miss Carrie strutting around New York in them.
4) The ladies of Nine. No need to pay attention to the musical storyline if you don’t want to (although any film with Daniel Day Lewis and Judi Dench in can’t be bad) but the sultry costumes worn by Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Marion Cotillard are so 2010 it hurts. Underwear as outerwear was in almost every collection, even in the innocent environment of a church thanks to Antonio Berardi. And with costumes that include corsetry, lace and vampy lips, we certainly know who we’ll be imitating for our party-wear this year. After all, who doesn’t want to look a little like Penelope Cruz?

Luckily then, Britain’s both rising and legendary fashion talent turned up in good form for the British Fashion Awards, held at the prodigious Royal Courts of Justice (we’ll leave the jokes about committing fashion crimes, thank you). Admittedly the clothes were mostly moodily black and sultry (where’s the festive spirit?) but there were a few fabulous gems to complement the assortment of awards on offer. The red carpet battle of the night was predicted to be between Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss, but both made rather unsurprising choices – Victoria in a dress from her own collection that was striking but seemed to give a touch of the déjà vu: if we remember correctly she wore something very similar a few months back. Kate did her usual scraped back hair, smoky eyes and ‘jacket chucked over couture’ look, but we’ve seen it all before. Personal favourites from the night were the stunning young models Daisy Lowe and Amber Le Bon, and the ethereal Erin O’Connor, looking beautiful and gothic in a one-shoulder floor length Kate Halfpenny gown.

But back to the awards (easy to get side-tracked with a red carpet full of fashion lovelies in next season’s dresses to pore over) and it was Christopher Bailey who was the true winner of the night, and perhaps the season, winning Designer of the Year, with Burberry collecting the award for Designer Brand of the Year. After a triumphant return to the British catwalks in September, and a brand turnaround over the past ten years that has left the former chav-chic Burberry plaid overload firmly in its wake, Bailey and the brand are one of the biggest fashion pairings of the decade.

Christopher Kane scooped the much-deserved Collection of the Year award: next year we hope he can step into Bailey’s shoes by winning Designer of the Year for himself. The new band of hot, young British designers were also kicking up a fashion storm. Winners of the recently announced NEWGEN sponsorships Holly Fulton and Peter Pilotto were both winners tonight – Fulton winning the Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent in Accessories and Pilotto winning the same for his Ready-to-Wear. He had A-list fashion support on the night in the form of Claudia Schiffer, who was wearing a red dress from his collection.

Other winners included John Galliano, for Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design, and Georgia Jagger, who saw off competition from Daisy Lowe and Rosy Huntingdon-Whitely to win Model of Year. American Vogue icon Grace Coddington was also in town, to pick up the Isabella Blow award for Fashion Creator.

The evening went ahead with surprisingly few sidetracks, aside fom Vivienne Westwood’s climate change statements. But then where would we be without Viv’s politics at an awards event? There was a slight ripple of shock when beautiful Karen Elson, in a sweeping Alexander McQueen dress, literally fell off the stage into the orchestra pit. A fashion trooper if ever there was, she got straight back up from her prone position on the floor to present Grace Coddington with her award, and soldiered on with the evening until reportedly making a trip to A&E for a dislocated thumb. Ouch!

Finally, drum-roll please….the most exciting news of the night came courtesy of fashion It boy Christopher Bailey, who announced that Burberry would be showing in London again in February – and we’ll be there to report the best of British right back to you! Ahh, London fashion, how do we love thee? Let us count the ways….