(Editor's note: This is the second in a continuing series about fashion)
London is famous for more than just inclement weather. It is also home to some amazing and innovative designers.
Londoners are some of the most fashionably and impeccably dressed people in the world (sweat pants aren't even on their radar), so it is only natural that the city is home to the second of four major fashion weeks.
The rainy city's week of fashion is the smallest in the month preview of the spring/summer season to come, but nevertheless it delivered some wonderful collections.
Christopher Kane
For a young designer who has ascended the fashion ladder from Central Saint Martin's student to innovative designer, Christopher Kane certainly met the mark with his spring/summer 2009 collection.
Kane's collection was at once both futuristic and primitive.
Indeed, the collection seemed something that a more grown-up, sophisticated Pebble Flintstone would have donned before clambering onto the back of some prehistoric creature.
Playing with colors from red to mustard, with some splashes of cream, black and green, Kane used a palette that brings to mind fire and earth; two elements that primeval men once had to conquer.
Leopard-print tops and towering, strappy platform heels were the order of the day, while leather skirts and mini dresses were adorned with three-dimensional half circles, harking back to the palettes of Kane's fall collection last March.
The collection was geometric, but kept with the ancient theme. In one case, a dress was splashed across the chest with a giant gorilla's face.
Kane managed to dress his women for many occasions, from separates to little dresses to skinny pants and a flowing top, all ornamented with the sculptural, scalloped three-dimensional circles. Overall, Kane created a contemporary yet wearable (outsized gorilla faces aside) line for the spring.
Sinha-Stanic
Fina Sinha and Alsander Stanic's (Sinha-Stanic) spring collection was comprised of two very contrasting themes ¬- the teddy girls of the fifties and natural disasters.
The Teddy Boys of the 1950s were a British subculture movement, characterized by their sharp, tailored way of dressing and slickly coiffed hair. Think Kenickie in "Grease." Their girlfriends, or "teddy girls," were invoked in Sinha-Stanic's line, with killer skinny pants, sharp sleeveless jackets and crisp white button downs.
On the other hand, pieces that reflected nature's wrath came in the shape of smart dresses and separates in black, depicting conceptual lava, water and palm trees.
The collection began innocently enough, with gentle colors of baby pink and soft chartreuse. As the show wore on, the general concept became progressively more anxious and dark. Hot pink jackets clashed with orange pants, and the entire air of natural disaster turned the show from a bit nostalgic to far more sinister.
In general, Sinha-Stanic's spring/summer 2009 show was a lean step up from the overdone collection of last fall.
Topshop Unique
Topshop Unique is always an interesting collection, not only for its fun styles but also for its affordability. While most designer duds go for hundreds or even thousands of dollars a pop, Topshop Unique offers more reasonably prices clothes, if you can get your hands on them.
Fortunately for the United States, the British brand and its Unique label are going international with a new flagship store opening next spring in New York City.
Across the pond in London, the eighties were alive and well at Topshop Unique's spring show. Washed denim, heart patterns and ratty hair tied up with giant bows made the line fun, wearable and nostalgically modern.
One-piece wonders complete with belts or nipped waists were entertaining, while loud prints, baggy silhouettes and slouchy boots upped the chic factor and made the entire collection current. The oversized sweater trend that characterized the eighties showed up, and high-waist pants were commonplace.
Clothing for the authoritative woman was also present at the show, and came in the form of slightly exaggerated shoulders and younger-looking power suits.
At the helm is Karen Bonser, who made the collection into a truly youthful and energetic one. While the 1980s did not see fashion's greatest moments, the collection was translated in such a way that everything was wearable without being cheesy.
Nicole Farhi (Becca's Favorite)
Nicole Farhi's breezy collection was styled in true English fashion from start to finish.
The collection show began with a tea dress perfectly fitted for a woman with hips, detailed with a wide ruffle at the bottom, pockets, a narrow red and cream waist belt and painted with delicate florals - not to mention the hat festooned with a black ribbon. From that first appearance on the catwalk, the collection was attention-grabbing.
That same painted floral pattern was sprinkled throughout the show, sometimes as a pair of trousers paired with a sweet embellished cardigan, or as a long sleeve blouse paired with a yellow blazer and knee-length, cream skirt, finished off with a black bow around the neck, or even as a shorts suit, with a cap sleeved blazer and soft pink blazer and cuffed shorts.
Her black pieces were few and far between, but were the bold and sophisticated accents that the collection needed. There was a collared shirt-dress, paired with a grey belt and soft yellow shoes that would be perfect for any occasion.
The definition of little black dress made its way down the runway, with an ever-so-slight cap sleeve, and pleats at the waist giving room for hips. Although the collection was small, fourteen looks in all, it was a show-stopper and easily one of London Fashion Week's best.
Amanda Wakely
Amanda Wakely's spring 2009 collection was creatively arranged into mini collections within the larger whole, beginning with a set in safari colors - khaki and olive green.
There were short ponchos, pocketed shirt-dresses accessorized with tan leather belts at the waist, body conscious, lightweight tank dresses, and a rolled sleeve, collared, button-front, shorts jumpsuit, paired with a structured vest and brown waist-belt. There was a summery white collection featuring both flowy and body-conscious pieces. There were one-piece bathing suits with side cut-outs showing bits of skin, knee length tight day dresses, and floor length, loose jersey-like dresses.
Next was a patterned set of tan with a red stripe that danced around the garments. A short flouncy number with ballooned sleeves showed just enough upper thigh, while hiding the hips and accenting the waist with a wide piece of red satin. This mini collection also included a chiffon, floor length, bathing suit cover and a skinny strapped dress, deep v, empire wasted dress, sure to make whoever wears it look as light as air.
This was followed by a bold orange set featuring three dresses ranging from short to long and one in between. The short and sexy orange number was embellished with bronze circles along the neckline, traveled down the center, and double as a wide belt at the waist, not to mention being paired with strappy stilettos of the same hue.
Another white collection immediately succeeded - this time chiffon and flowing away from the body, embellished with metallic, mirror-like squares at the ribs or top of the dresses. Her runway show finished with a sexy deep olive dress, fit for a night on the town adorned top to bottom with the previously mentioned circles providing not only an amazing texture, but a light catching color that makes the dress sparkle and will surely to turn heads.
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