Thursday Show Report
A beautiful day, the sun is out and so are the fashion followers. There are loads of people drinking smoothies outside the venue, soaking up some rays.. but no time for that as I head backstage to take a look at the collections before they hit the catwalk. Alia Peer's A/W collection catches my eye: a fusion of rich velvets and cashmere dresses.
Alia tells me how excited she is to be making her AFW debut. Her collection, all produced in South Africa, is about life and reinventing your childhood. It includes layered skirts, waistcoats and some beautiful leatherwork - country girl meets urban chic. The response from the crowd made certain that we should watch this space!
Alia Peer
Christina Simpson is another designer who made us sit up and take notice with a collection that felt like a grown-up school uniform: twisted grey cardies teamed with a classic white blouse, cropped trousers and the conceptual equivalent of a pinafore dress.
Jemima Penny's unique architectural tailoring was another big crowd pleaser. She's used burgundy, grey and brown in this very wearable collection of twisted jackets and tactile accessories.
Clare Shields
Another look around the Fashion Market leads me to Clare Shields. Clare is a second year BA student at The Scottish School of Textiles and tells me that her passion lies with weave and knit. Her collection 'Cake of Youth' is all about embellishment: Clare produces beautiful vintage laced tops along with embroidered belts and hand knitted scarves. I'm going back tomorrow to buy one of her skirts!
Judges of the day were Scott Henshall (designer), Vanessa Friedman (The FT), Charlotte Bowman (Wallpaper*) and Tottenham Hotspur's Jermaine Defoe, who didn't arrive until the end of the show, but stayed to sign autographs and have pictures taken with fans.
Natalie Hines
