Last day of fashion week does not mean slacking. No, sir-ee. Five days of this really creeps into your bones. The body is in actual pain, the feet no longer work, the dark circles under the eyes have taken such epic proportions only sunglasses can hide them and the weather has just stopped cooperating, as it’s really started pissing down. But it’s a 9am start as always, and not a coffee or breakfast in sight, nor anyone else in the tent it seems. Could it be that everyone is suffering from headaches after an epic night of partying? There was the Mulberry party, ELLE Style Awards – where ERDEM was named Designer of the Year – to name a few. Myself? I spent it hard at work until 2am. A glamorous job, you say?

Ashish



Anyway, there we were for Ashish, nice and early. Those of us brave enough to be awake at this point (which included Paloma Faith and Kimberley Walsh) were really given a top show by the Indian designer. Was the first look, a model in sequined striped pajamas big sunglasses and a woolly hat perhaps a cheeky nod to the early hour? Possibly. Either way, I’d have gladly crawled straight into them and taken a little nap in a corner, but thank goodness Mr. Gupta decided otherwise. As always, sequins were the main ingredient of the collection, but there was plenty of chunky knitwear and thick woolen trousers and jackets to cancel out any comparison there may have been to a night out in an Essex nightclub. The sequin element was still in every look, but no longer overpowering. Even the colours, usually all of them used in abundance, were toned down a little, and it was nice to actually see a bit of the designer instead. The styling was impeccable, from the messy braided hair with coloured streaks to the men’s brogues with chunky knitted socks, this is the kind of effortless cool an Ashish girl should embody. The bare midriff/wide trousers in combination with the braided hair bore somewhat more than a resemblance to Alexander Wang’s SS10 collection, but other than that, it really couldn’t be flawed – any man who can make me smile that much before 9.30am really deserves some credit.

Basso & Brooke



From one colourful show to the next, as another favourite of mine was lined up. If the invite was anything to go by, Basso & Brooke were headed for another season of eclectic prints, not that we’re expecting anything else – they are the masters of the “Power Prints” after all. The press release claimed inspirations from a two week trip Bruno Basso and Christopher Brooke took along the Silk Route, and inspired they most definitely were. Imagine any kind of print, texture and material, then combine them together and you’ve got the B&B AW10 collection. Prints may be all over the catwalks nowadays, but a thick knit gradually turning into a snakeskin print is only experts can get away with. On top of that, people often overlook that they are pretty great designers too. The shoes by Finsk deserve a special shout out, as they seemed to blend in with the clothes so much, it often was hard to tell which was which. I left incredibly cheered up (somewhat helped by the prospect of drinking the gorgeous bottle of wine in my bag, a collaboration the designers have started with Turning Leaf – check here for more info).

Antoni & Alison



Next I went to a video presentation of the Antoni & Alison collection. This is one of those occasions where a presentation really doesn’t do it for me – staring at 6 screens featuring a model in the collection did not give me the personal experience other presentations did earlier in the week. Cute collection, the format made it a little forgettable.

Next up, Burberry, which I’ll dedicate a whole post to. On my way out of Somerset House, I was greeted by this lovely sign…

All images my own or via www.londonfashionweek.co.uk