The Coronation Of Queen Cara

So that's it, London Fashion Week has come to and end and with it the capital's fashion conscious have decamped to Milan for yet another week of stunning shows and hopefully some warmer weather. 

The week basically felt like the coronation of Cara Delevigne. She seemed to be the go-to girl for every show and, if you hadn't already, we all fell in love with her. 

To the right I am with my friend Lucy at Somerset House. Marcus Dawes took our photo and I was very surprised to then find it on the London Fashion Week website and printed in "The Daily" the fashion week newspaper. Does this mean I am part of the fashion set now? 

Anyway, here are my favourites from London Fashion Week AW13.

McQ

I love a bit of tailoring so naturally McQ was going to be a hit. I strong tailoring with an injection of fun is something that London's fashion week does better than any other. Teamed with simple white shirts I believe you can't go wrong and this was demonstrated at this show.
The animal print trend was also perfectly clear to see at the McQ show with their tailoring also coming in fun, multicoloured zebra prints.

Issa


There was a hint of explorer (albeit very well dressed explorer) about the Issa show that I loved. The Indiana Jones-esque hats at an angle gave the models a look that made me think they were about to go trekking through a rainforest. Model of the moment and March 2013 Vogue cover girl Cara Delevigne opened the show in a flowing dress teamed with a black roll neck and boots. Daniella Helayel said backstage at the show that the Issa woman "is cooler, she wants to explore". It was a departure for Issa who are probably best known, rightly on wrongly, for Kate Middleton's engagement dress. If this was an attempt to reinvent themselves then it certainly worked for me. 








House Of Holland


If I had to pick one show from this week that I thought embodied what London is about right now then it would be the House Of Holland show, titled 'Rave Nana'. House of Holland provide the clothes that the coolest girls in London want to wear. Pixie, Winstone, Lowe, were all on the front row. These are girls who want to have fun with what they wear. With an 80s and 90s rave inspired soundtrack, 70s wallpaper print inspired dresses and neon abound the show could have proved too much but it wasn't. It captured London in 2013. It also made me ask myself the question. Are mini skirts really going to be making a return?











Burberry Prorsum 

The quintessentially British brand provided my favourite show of the week. The Burberry show has quickly become the centre-piece event of London fashion weeks and this year's did not fail to dissapoint. The front row was quite possibly the most star studded I have ever seen. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in that red suit, Rita Ora with the 'Queen Cara' t-shirt and a sea of socialites, editors and bloggers completing the front row in the beautiful, purpose built space in Kensington Gardens. Christopher Bailey, this year, showed Burberry's sexy side whilst maintaining its British charm. Kinky rubber was mixed with sweeter-than-sweet love heart prints to give an naughty but nice look. It would be very easy for Burberry to become stagnant. We know them best for their staple piece: the trench. It is testament to the genius of Christopher Bailey that he can reinvent this classic, each time bringing something new and fresh.
My picks from this show would have to be Cara's sheer rubber skirt teamed with love heart underwear and leopard print top. It sounds too much but Burberry stuck to their traditional pallette to give something both outlandish and yet subtle at the same time and the spots and stripes over-sized coat. I don't know if it is just the model and the sunglasses but surely this is a reference to front row-er Anna Wintour? The Burberry Prorsum show, my favourite from London Fashion Week 2013.

Economics Is The New Black

Next week marks the return of the week long fashion spectacle that is London Fashion Week. You would think that in this age of austerity and a time when people apparently have no money that the fashion industry would be dying. You wouldn’t think that fashion weeks across the globe would be growing. The fact is though that they are. London this year launched its “London Collections: Men” in what was seen as a stepping stone to a full blown men’s fashion week in the capital. This year’s New York fashion week has a slightly ambiguous name given that it is no longer just a week, but a whole 10 days in which the fashionistas of New York City take over the metropolis bringing with them their high heels, birkin bags and most importantly (and key to the point of this piece), their money. Some find it vulgar that the fashion world has continued as normal despite the global meltdown. I don’t find it vulgar, in fact I find it something to be encouraged. If this was any other business sector then it would be applauded for seeming to keep calm and carry on. Because this is an industry in which people feel they have no connection though they can’t adjust to fashion succeeding against all odds. This social division, however, is in fact a myth. Without sounding too much like Miranda Priestly, played by Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” fashion is important to everyone. If it wasn’t for Valentino or Jason Wu spending millions on a new line then the people in Primark would have nothing to copy and then most importantly nothing for the average fashion consumer to spend their hard-earned money on. The fashion industry is actually a sector of our society that we cannot deal without; yes some may say that the outlandish designs currently draped over models in a tent in New York City may never filtrate down to us. This is true, but the inspiration drawn from these outfits will make millions for our economy. For example two years ago neon began to crop up on the catwalks. Most of us will never contemplate wearing a full, neon yellow trouser suit and probably that is a good thing but now neon is everywhere. Watches, bags, shoes, satchels. Everywhere. It may not all be well-made, or designer, or even good but the fact is that people buy it and a portion of that money will eventually find its way back into the economy. So this weekend when you are out shopping why not buy that bag? It is practically your national duty. Basically what I am saying is that economics is the new black.