Ashley Isham fuk@lfw s/s 06

I went to Bali once. It was the end of a 7 month trip and I spent my time on the island in a T-shirt that was more hole than fabric and a mismatched sarong. If only I'd had Ashley Isham's Bali-inspired demi couture collection it might have been a different trip altogether.

This collection offers gloriously draped jerseys in the kind of colours you'd expect from a beachbound Indonesian holiday - aquas, reds, golds and lime green, with long, flowing gowns and separates in the form of flared skirts and chiffon capped tops on which the fabric had been gathered to create frangipani flowers. Or how about a really cool fuchsia pink pair of high-waisted pedal pushers with built-in braces?

Eyecatching details include copper vintage sequins, embroidered kingfishers, flowers and sea urchins and the models' hair stood a foot high in crazy bird's nest buns. On the accessory front, models donned old gold leather open-toed shoes with funky cork high heels.

Not alone on her island odyssey, Isham's lady was accompanied on the catwalk by handsome young men in low-slung white trousers and long shorts with pocket flaps which wrapped round from pelvis to cute butt. The statuesque Alek Wek closed the show in a floor-length red gown.

Words: Maia Adams. Photos: David Jones.