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Thursday 22 September 2011

London Fashion Week, Somerset House








London Fashion Week comes around twice a year: February/March for the Autumn/ Winter collections and September/ October for Spring/ Summer. The incongruity with the current weather conditions makes this a little bizarre. On Saturday as the elite few watched the models showcasing the new summer clothes on the catwalk, the majority of us were getting drenched by the chilly September rain - summer and all the flouncy outfits it brings felt very distant.

As one of LFW’s bloggers, I was invited to attend Somerset House to explore the exhibition and take part in the fashion mayhem. I was immediately struck by how incredibly inventively everyone was dressed: velvet drapes, crazy shoes, beautiful bags, patterns and materials, accessories and garments of every kind - fancy dress that actually works and looks good. Photographers were out in force lining the cobbled square of Somerset House snapping away at everything and anything that moved!

We spent a good few hours walking round the exhibition, which showcases the work of some fabulous designers, old and new. My friend and I were in seventh heaven, frolicking in what felt like a giant dressing up box of goodies. Thank God the items weren’t for sale – I would have spent a fortune.

The accessory designs were the highlight for me, some so incredible that they’d complete even the plainest of clothes. Cleo B had an outrageous collection of funky shoes and footwear accessories - pom pom and diamond clip brooches to jazz up tired ballet shoes, as you can see from my photo. Colour was everywhere, and like a magpie I was drawn in by the glowing neon. Sarah Angold’s futuristic bracelets were lust-worthy as well as the beautiful bright hair accessories from Fred Butler.

In fact, there were numerous jewellery stalls: Tatty Devine with a particularly juicy array of head dresses and necklaces, and Zoe & Morgan showing off their beautiful gothic range. Clothes varied enormously in price and design; luxury handmade cloaks, retro inspired swimwear from Paolita and gorgeous silk shirts caught my eye.

I wore my favourite patriotic outfit, a vintage union jack dress, and after a trip to the paperself stall for some free paper eyelashes, I felt a little more fashion week appropriate. Hopefully my photos illustrate the qualities of LFW: fresh, innovative and exciting... fashion at its very best.

Visit the London Fashion Week website here.

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