London Fashion Week: Don't Eat The Young!

I sat in the John Rocha show today thinking about Gareth Pugh. I have been going to John Rocha shows as long as I have been covering fashion -- longer than most, shorter than some -- and have always enjoyed them. Today's was no exception, pretty dresses but with an edge, or in this case a layer of netting which held flowers or made sparkly applique a bit less sparkly. Rocha is just one of the many design talents here who was once hot, hot, hot, like Pugh, but never quite made it to superstar status. Of course the fact that he's still here is a feat in itself. What of Tristan Webber? His website says he'll be showing at London Fashion Week in February 2006. And that's all it says under "current collection."

Sarah Mower's review of the Gareth Pugh show for Style.com was unusually enlightening. She points out that his new head of production is the wife of Rick Owens -- a woman who might be able to make turn the collection from something we want to watch to something we want to wear.

If Amanda Wakeley was ever hot, hot, hot, I missed it. But her quiet collection has grown to include a growing number of women around the world who buy clothes to look good -- not fashionable. The same can be said of Issa, though I think she should promise to keep the corsets under the dresses in future. And lord knows why Julien Macdonald persists in making day wear. The leggings, tank top, and big belt combo is one my Brazilian nanny has been wearing for years -- and she shops at Primark. Things picked up with a sexy knit dress -- I wish he'd do more of them -- and his evening wear, which has its audience.

Tonight one of my most anticipated shows -- Jonathan Saunders. He's a master of the print and a favorite of fashion editors all over town but not in that so-hot-I-have-groupies kind of a way. All the better for his business, I suspect.

On with the shows...