Gavin Douglas fuk@lfw s/s 08

It's not easy for designers to create a buzz at morning shows but Gavin brought us bumping and grinding into Fashion Week with a party-time collection. With 80s Pop culture cited as his inspiration we had a colourful collection with vacuum-tight silhouettes.

Gavin's girl is not getting dressed to do housework, she is brashly bejewelled, wearing above-the-knee frocks with chunky high-heeled shoes tied by ribbons (last season Gavin shoes were courtesy of Terry de Havilland, this season he's made them himself!). Gavin's gone short throughout - skirts, dresses and even trousers have 3/4 rolled-up bottoms. He continues to mix his fabrics like a magican making his own style spell: he gets silk and he adds leather, then he takes cotton and fills it with coloured beads.

The accessories include wonky peaked caps that complemented the one-sided hair look perfectly, vertiginous shoes (designed by Gavin himself!) and the bold jewellery mixing beads with chunky gold charms and fake cameras. There's a column dress with Marilyn Monroe's face on it, a mini jacket with leather shoulders and pleated silk skirts.

Gavin plays with the back of his outfits, generously criss-crossing straps and exploring his interest in belts in dresses. There is a show-stopping digital print blue dress with a city skyline on it. It's Amy Winehouse (the eye make-up and short glam skirts) meets Cleopatra - shoulder details and costume jewels. There is an underlying nod to the Flapper (pleats and beads) but the main thrust is a girl, who could be from the ghetto, but is now an out and out party-goer with a very individual sense of glamour.

Styled by Karen Binns this was a show and collection which succeeds in taking Douglas, winner of Fashion Fringe 2006, up a level in terms of technique and delivering a strong look. This collection felt true to Gavin's own personal style.

www.gavindouglasfashion.com

Words: Marian Buckley
Photos: Ian Gillett