Have you thought recently about the school uniform look? Are most of you thinking aaam, NO! If not, I can’t promise that this account will be in any way – what’s that word – yes, USEFUL, that’s it, but seeing the beautiful Emily Senko backstage at fashion week made me realise that the school uniform skirt doesn’t have to be Japanese Harajuku school girl short.

Emily Senko’s mix of lengths made me have flashbacks of my own school uniform

Emily Senko’s mix of lengths made me have flashbacks of my own school uniform, (below-the-knee skirt, neat blouse buttoned up to the neck, flat shoes and the compulsory Irish Catholic heavy denier tights). The differences in Emily’s outfit to my old school uniform are slight but important…(apart from her having the most perfect boyish silhouette) this coat; or rather an elongated single breasted black jacket cuts the awkward skirt length to make it look less um, awkward. Add to this the precise tailored shoulder bringing attention to her face and the slight colour difference in the navy skirt and black coat (did someone say something about never seeing those two colours together?) Well we can toss that one out the window because it quite clearly works!

What else? Oh yes. When I met Emily Senko I got a bit giddy and overwrought because I could see up close the useful pocket in her skirt for her Blackberry (or a stash of secret school notes) and the hidden cashmere cardigan secretly working underneath the jacket for warmth. Add to this the perfect tailoring in the jacket shoulder and collar which looked really good up close and I thought that if I made a huge big deal out of it all and asked her about it and it turned out to be fiendishly expensive (I was thinking something along the lines of the Raf Simons Jill Sander 2010 ready to wear collection or Nicolas Ghesquière’s Balenciaga Spring 2007 ready-to-wear to be honest) I’d look like an idiot not knowing. Also there was the added pressure that many models seem to mirror catwalk trends and get samples early (they are exposed to them before anyone else backstage) so I was obliged to just whisper very quietly… Hey! Shhhh! Who designed your lovely coat?

And Emily said ‘Zara (two seasons ago) and she bungs it in the washing machine every few weeks to wash it.’ Huh? Yes you can imagine me just standing there looking and loving it even more.

I’ve had a little shimmy online and Zara are running a similar shoulder this season on their blazers (not as exaggerated and the length is much shorter mind) but it’s a good place for me to start. Right, I’m off on the hunt for this length now on eBay until my fingers get all crampy. If you’d rather leave those school days well and truly behind you, just ignore me.