LFW: Marios Schwab and Matthew Williamson

Although I preferred Matthew Williamson's pre-fall collection, I loved the red lace and feather dress from his fall collection, and Marios Schwab's last looks were absolutely fabulous.  The sheer and sequin dresses were amazing and so pretty  and possibly some of my favorites from the whole season.

Marios Schwab

Sophisticated Cool at LFW: Acne, Burberry, Paul Smith and Topshop

Few cities do cool as well as London, which is why brands like Acne, Burberry, Paul Smith and Topshop thrived during LFW by showcasing collections that It girls everywhere will be after.  Acne experimented with the broad shoulder trend that swept through NYFW like wild fire, and Burberry kept it girly with ruffles and statement bow belts.  Paul Smith designed for the young hip working woman, and Topshop went less literal than usual.  Topshop branched from modern Cleopatra to street style chic with awesome boots and wearable, season-defying pieces that a girl can keep in her closet and not discard once a new trend comes around.

Acne

 

LFW: Backstage & Beauty

LFW: Felder Felder, Kinder Aggugini, Michael van der Ham and Mulberry

Felder Felder

LFW: Print-centric at Holly Fulton, Mary Katrantzou and Peter Pilotto

Three collections I am OBSESSED with from London Fashion Week are Holly Fulton, Mary Katrantzou and Peter Pilotto.  The three designers experimented with prints and shapes to create fun night wear for the bold and daring.  Mary Katrantzou's is probably in my top five favorite collections from Fashion Month.  I love her shapes and colors, and even though her clothes are busy, they never appear to me to be too much because the clean lines make them sleek.  Fulton's clothes are bold and have sophisticated modern shapes.  Her electric blue dresses are like the It girl's LBD.  Finally, Pilotto's collection once again, incorporates unique shapes and textures to create the print-centric looks he has mastered. 

Holly Fulton

LFW: Street Style (part two)

LFW: Dark Florals at Christopher Kane, Erdem and Jonathan Saunders

Three designers I am always excited to see collections from are Christopher Kane, Erdem and Jonathan Saunders.  What I normally love from Erdem are their bright cheerful florals, but this season he took his signature look to a darker place and played with lots of deep blues and yellows.  Christopher Kane also followed suit putting out a collection that was rich in texture, hard in form but still girly with florals.  Jonathan Saunders also embraced the fall color palette and kept his collection feminine by also embracing the trend that just keeps coming back for more, florals.

Christopher Kane

LFW: Paul Smith and Marios Schwab

 I love these two collections from London Fashion Week.  Paul Smith's simplistic menswear meets women's wear style is amazing, and I love the patterned trousers, collared shirts and bold blue pieces.  Marios Schwab's collection is stunning, and I love the laser-cut dresses, which Kristen Stewart recently graced the runway in.  I also love the hard lines mixed with the cut of the dresses that accentuate the waist.

Paul Smith

LFW: Christopher Kane and David Koma

I adore these two collections from London Fashion Week.  Christopher Kane's digital flowers are sophisticated but modern, and David Koma's cutouts are absolutely amazing.  I love how edgy the outfits are, and the simple makeup gives the models a very understated look.

Christopher Kane

LFW: Unique for Topshop, Acne and Roskanda Ilincic

OK, I am finally going to commit to discussing some of the spring collections that I loved this season.  Starting with Unique for Topshop, which I picture is something Cleopatra would have been into if she was 17 and trendy.  While a lot of the collection was not necessarily my style, I appreciate the interesting reference, and I like key pieces like the Elizabeth Taylor sweatshirt and the Egyptian cat dress.  Topshop also stayed true to this season's theme of pastels, and the shades of pink on the dresses is a really pretty look.

Acne and Roskanda Ilincic also showed some pretty strong collections, and although they are incredibly different, there are still some striking similarities.  Both made use of the full skirt trend and incorporated florals into their clothing, but they did it in very different ways. Acne, which tends to be the cool, edgy girl's wardrobe went a little harder with lines and fabrics while Roskanda created a wardrobe for a very feminine and sophisticated woman.  Acne digitized its floral prints for a more modern look and Roskanda went more traditional, but regardless of the differences, I think they both showed awesome collections.

Unique for Topshop

The Art of Mixing Prints from Mary Katrantzou and Michael van der Ham

At London Fashion Week, a huge trend was combining and meshing patterns, and two designers I think did an amazing job were Mary Katrantzou and Michael van der Ham.  Both created dresses that are bold and vibrant, and while I think mixing prints can be risky and result in an overwhelming and sometimes tacky look, these two designers managed to create chic and edgy outfits that are eye-catching, elaborate and unique.

Mary Katrantzou

Top Five Models of Fashion Month: Joan Smalls

Joan Smalls is absolutely stunning, and she's my fourth favorite model of fashion month.  She has such strong features but is surprisingly versatile.  She walked in some major shows including Nina Ricci, Balmain, Emilio Pucci and Viktor & Rolf.

 

Top five models of fashion month: Julia Saner

I never really recognized Julia Saner much, but after seeing her walk for Rodarte, a collection where every model looked beautiful, I thought she really stood out.

She's my third favorite model of fashion month because she walked in almost every major collection including Alexander McQueen, Costume National, Rodarte, Chanel and Valentino.  I think she's gorgeous and a little different then the models I usually talk about (meaning she's not blonde with a gap between her front teeth).  Here's a look at the awesome newcomer who I think we will be seeing a lot more of very soon.

Girls of Autumn/Winter 2011

Another great video by Justin Wu in collaboration with models.com.  Check out some of the runway stars lip syncing to "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You."

London Fashion Week: Street Style

A compilation of my favorite street style photos from London Fashion Week.  

London Fashion Week: Shoes

Here's a look at my favorite shoes of London Fashion Week.  It seemed like a lot of designers went for modern looks with metalic colors and wood wedges.

What designer had your favorite shoes?

Acne

Aquascutum Fall 2011

I adore Aquascutum's layered daywear looks and winter coats.  Also, while I'm not too crazy about the fur on the gloves, I think it definitely makes a statement, and I bet come next fashion month, street style photographers will be shooting them everywhere.

Erdem Fall 2011

Although Erdem stayed with its signature use of prints this season, the fall collection is completely different from the looks they showed in spring.  Erdem definitely opted for darker colors for the fall, and I adore the almost watercolor look to the dresses.  The second to the last look is definitely my favorite, and I love how they put long sleeves and high slits on floor length dresses, and played with the new knee-length look.

Holly Fulton Fall 2011

Marios Schwab Fall 2011

In a season where tons of designers have experimented with patterns, Marios Schwab sticks to the basics and he does it well.  His dresses are gorgeous and monochromatic with interesting shapes.  My favorites are the yellow-green and the navy blue dresses.

What do you think?