And so how is London Fashion Week going? Yeah, I think you might have guessed that it’s been SUPER BUSY here the past few days. That said, today it’s also pretty nippy so I thought it might be cool to have a quick chat with model Suzie Bird before she dashed off to Paris a few hours ago to ask her how she stays fashionably warm while running from show to show.

Answer: She cleverly layers. But it’s done with such French beauty. A
Paul & Joe Sister blouse with it’s sweet cat print and a touch of coffee is a perfect play on color. Pretty much the idea is to choose a print to elevate your wool sweater and wool coat. All you gotta do is make sure that it has a substantially coloured bow or ribbon that you can tie and let casually fall out over your wool jumper. Suzie’s jumper is from COS and her bag is from Balenciaga, a bag with darker coffee colours which gives this whole look that perfect touch of coffee luxury… I love it.

And then I asked about he coat and was thrilled to hear that it’s vintage as are her boots. At first it surprised me as both her coat and boots look so modern against what’s going on in fashion shape-wise right now, but then I loved the idea of how now you can shop and create this look quite affordably and end up owning something which is a total one-off in your closet. Double.. Woo! Woo!

And now I want these boots more than anything at fashion week. How do I always keep doing this? Okay, I gotta get going… I have to run to Meadham Kirchhoff, meanwhile I’ll be working out a new vintage shopping plan… and how to find a good coffee.

Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow with more! Big hugs!

Someone yesterday reminded me that they would be combing my fashion weeks reviews to see what I thought of their favorite designers and a little shiver went up my spine thinking how good many of the shows I’ve seen in the past few days have been. A certain few shows have stood out as being pretty magnificent.

So I am not in fact still trapped backstage at Simone Rocha at Somerset House at London Fashion Week for her Autumn/Winter 2012 show, but my mind is laden with the images. Smudged wool and crochet delicately adorning collars and used in a new and clever way.

Collars ran from simple wool crocheted single stitches…

…to cotton collars trimmed with rows of white or black blanket stitches.

Treated as a removable accessory, Simone Rocha made the collar her own again this season. (In her last two collections she floated collars separate to garments and created them from gingham, organza and lace sandwiched safely in plastic which looked gossamer light.)

Smudges of wool also came densely tufted and teased to create a collar which sat beneath a cotton collar.

The tufted wool was inspired by feral tribal imagery from Papua New Guinea and the theme was further enhanced by the hair which was teased into a signature fringe by James Pecis.

Dublin street children of the 1930′s was another theme which Simone Rocha used as an examination of new and old Ireland – boys and girls – wild and refined and her army of pale models reflected this.

Crochet was further used in headpieces

Flashes of texture from Rocha’s signature colored perspex heel….

…to sleeves on dresses fashioned from guipure.

Touches of Melton and Linton tweed (used extensively by Chanel), tulle, and mohair

Here’s a close-up. Lots to love this season from this very strong collection by Simone Rocha who’s experimentation with texture seems to be going from strength to strength.