London Fashion Week

A/W 2011 has landed in full force with its recycled and edgy tradition. Over the weekend, such shows from Topshop’s ‘Unique’, Mulberry, Matthew Williamson, Louise Gray, Vivienne Westwood, PPQ, Temperley and many more have graced the newly appointed location for the bi-annual fashion event with their coverted new designs.

As ever, it wasn’t just the designers fashion that were captured, quoted or dare I say tweeted, the celebrities that took to the front row of the shows, sometimes turned more heads.

Front row veterans such as Anna Wintour, Alexandra Shulman, Kate Moss and Philip Green, paved their way to the upcoming trendsetting starlets of today such as Emma Watson, Olivia Palermo, Fearne Cotton and Nicola Roberts.

Their flaunting style was ever short of shy, as they boldly wore the season’s stone and brown hues, ankle & middy length skirts, quirky accessories, satin floaty materials, and an eye watering amount of bright colours and patterns.

The trends of today have well and truly brought back memories and tastes of past decades. Patterns and cuts of materials hark back to the 70s, whilst the colours and stitch remind us only of the post war period, daring to challenge their beige hues for the outright bold.

No fashion week is the same without pining over the new collections, imagining your bank balance didn’t omit to the depressing potential of buying second hand clobber, and convincing yourself that your VIP invite to the latest shows ‘must have got lost in the post’.

This time around there is a definite glee of excitement, as we can already see the many garments on show that are waiting to be reborn in the wardrobe. Such items as your leather jacket, floral pieces, belted macs, military parkas, coral summer hues, maxi dresses, autumn browns and clogs are all making their re-appearance to A/W.

Simply adjusting your designs to fit the new trends will take little effort, and part of the fun is thinking of new ways to invent the clothes you have. For example, simply take your maxi dress, hitch up at the waist and fasten with a skinny (or woven) belt that will instantly take the length up to the ‘middy’ size of the season.

Layering as ever is a staple for A/W, so simply teaming your Camel Coat with the middy length skirt is the easiest way to bring last year to 2011.

By far the best place I have found to get up to date information of this week in London is the online fashion bible itself; www.vogue.co.uk. Their blog is also brilliant for snippets of the latest gossip, buys, shows and celebrity appearances.