My Day Out at LFW!

We've spent the last few days in a flurry of shows and parties, peppered with trips to the McDonalds on Leicester square and the occasional jaunt to Tesco Holland Park to pick up some necessities like wine and Krispy Kremes. I had never actually been to a show before Saturday but I quickly threw my newbie status out the window, attending four in one day. First up was John Rocha where there were some familiar Irish faces in the audience - fellow blogger Annmarie O'Connor was present as were Deirdre McQuillan and stylist Celestine Cooney. Things got off to a sober start as models dressed all in black took to the catwalk, but in amongst these sombre offerings were playful details like sparkling detachable collars and capes and exaggerated shoulders which lent the dresses both a Victorian and futuristic feeling at the same time. The introduction of colour - peaches and bright reds - along with the abundance of luxurious furs made sure that the initial austerity was soon forgotten.

Over at Armand Basi, bright colours were a rarity with various shades of grey making up the palette. Models stomped down the catwalk in oversized wool coats and harem pants that took things that bit further, i.e. below the knee, than we've previously seen. Roisin Murphy who wore Armand Basi to the Elle style awards last week was there to lend support to designer Markus Lupfer. After Armand Basi, I headed to a warehouse in Marylebone for the Peter Jensen show. Huge, unusually shaped bags, which I had seen at both John Rocha and Armand Basi appeared again, but this time they were bright orange and purple in keeping with Jensen's colourful and playful theme. Things got a little spooky when straight afterwards Ann-Sofie Back sent pale little waifs down the catwalk to the kind of soundtrack that usually accompanies the paranormal shows my sister watches on Living. The ghostly models walked deliberately and creepily slowly, giving us ample time to admire the witchy pointy-toed boots, the feather accessories and sweatshirts with slogans like Boo and God Bless!

My other The Portmanteau half was lucky enough to score a ticket to the Vivienne Westwood show on Saturday evening so I'm sure she'll fill you in on that once the hangover has subsided (a result of a night of hard partying - more deets to follow).

John Rocha

Peter Jensen

Ann-Sofie Back