LFW AW12 Day Two: The highlights

Hi guys,
It could just be me, but I think there are more people than ever at Fashion Week this year! The courtyard at Somerset House is full most of the day, and buzzing with creative fashionable people who want to be seen: some of the outfits are as outrageous as ever!

Also at Somerset House were Topshop, selling the 'New Gen 10' T shirt collection from the back of a van. Topshop are always ahead of the curve when it comes to utilizing the buzz from LFW to market their products: the season the Christopher Kane collaboration launched I missed my first show to get my hands on that gorrilla tee. And the Mary Katrantzou collection which launched on Friday has sold out already. Nevermind showcasing trends and collections for next winter: fashion week is fast becoming the place to go to pick up key pieces right now!

My schedule for the day involved four shows: Spijkers en Spijkers, Bernard Chandran, Shao Yen and Ashley Isham. The day wear at Bernard Chandran didn't leave me particularly inspired, but this was more than made up for by the outstanding eveningwear. The rich blue lace gown (above) was the stand out piece from the collection. The collars on each frock was high; the design feature that held the collection together. Colour-wise, monochromatic black, white and grey was the order of the day The only highlight of colour was the electric blue, and those pieces really popped! Overall the collection had all of the sculptural simplicity I love most about Chandran's work.

My photos from Spjikers en Spjikers just aren't good enough to share, but the collection is definitely worth looking up. The colour palette was rich and bold (perfect for long cold winter days) and the collection was inspired by eccentric society girl Edie Bovier Beale. I especially loved the utilitarian 1920s-style hair.

If I didn't already have a slight obsession with knitwear, the Shao Yen presentation would have made me want to start my love affair all over again! The room was packed for the presentation, but it was definitely worth the pushing and shoving to see the collection up close. It was inspired by a quintessentially British style, and I liked it alot. That white dress is definitely on my "when I win the lottery" list....

Finally, I always love Ashley Isham: the dresses are just begging to be worn on the red carpet, and this year was no exception. The collection was inspired by "the city girl with a passion for clean lines, contemporary statement dresses and tailoring". I loved the colour scheme, which was the perfect mix of cool and rich tones. Think patriot blue, emerald, fig, black iris, smoked pearl and antique gold.

Spotted on the front row were Jameela Jamil, Jodie Harsh, and Michelle Keegan of Coronation Street fame, looking surprisingly fantastic in a graphic printed Andrew Majtenyi frock. I do admit I'm the world's worst celebrity spotter though, so I could have seen lots more celebs and just not noticed....

Love Tor xx