A gown by Julien Macdonald

London is where my heart is, and it was  so exciting to see the British S/S 12 lines,  set in the beautiful Somerset House and other amazing venues around the capital.

I really like what I saw in London, and under the absolutely stunning category I am going to put Julien Macdonald‘s collection. The short dresses were so fierce and wearable – I would happily don most of the designs presented. The long, flowing gowns were dreamy: the embroidery married with transparency was delicate and sexy at the same time.  The metallics are muted, elegant and in details, which gives all the pieces a very noble, glamorous feel.

Vivienne Westwood‘s Red Label collection dresses at the end of the show really  appealed to me, but what really caught my attention was the metallic hair, exquisite MAC make up with amazing eyes and multicoloured nails in shades of greens and blues.  Love it.

I very much like Henry Holland, and when looking at his collection, fresh was the word that sprung to mind, with the pastels and playful pieces.  And then, all of a sudden, it got fierce, with leathers, animal print and netting.

Meadham Kirchhoff

The textures on Holly Fulton‘s collection was superb – the embroidery mixed with zebra(!!!) print, patterns with feathers and jewelled collars , the sea theme – I like it all, quite a few pieces I would wear.

Jaeger comes very ladylike – the hats were fabulous (even though I don’t really wear hats, I don’t think they suit me!) and I really enjoyed seeing Sass & Bide‘s vibrant colours and sheen details at the Royal Opera House, the venue I consider to be the most stunning.

A feast for the eyes was Meadham Kirchhoff‘s collection. Dazzling the senses with an explosion of colours, the designs and the styling were pure fun – think circus meets pantomime in a fantasy world. Mary Kantrazou also showcased a colourful and exquisite collection, a delightful prints galore.

I also like the fringed, flapper-ish and the feathered dresses from Issa, the vinyl and structured, almost futuristic pieces from Richard Nicoll (some of them reminded me of The Jetsons), the colours and textures in Matthew Williamson‘s collection and the metallics and feathers on Giles‘ “Black Swan inspired” line.

I can bet on metallics for next summer, as well as prints and patterns (I love ALL animal prints – last season’s leopard was king, now giving way to snake for A/W11-12, maybe it is zebra time for s/s12?) and  pastel colours.

Overall, in my opinion,  New York faded in comparison to the flamboyance of London. Even though I fell in love with quite a few stunning collections showcased in NY, everything seemed more edgy, daring and innovative in the British version, and perhaps easier and more fun to translate from the catwalk to the streets.