FASHION Magazine

A few hours after the Erdem show ended on Monday, pictures of the lacy, camouflage-esque floral print started popping up across Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. It’s always interesting to see which elements of a collection achieve viral (for lack of a better word) status on social media sites and go on to become ubiquitous within months—Miu Miu’s swallows, anyone? So, in effort to start canonizing Erdem’s vibrant print, I took the Fall 2012 design to my nails.

See the Erdem manicure! »

Quick post today, since a gazillion traffic accidents prevented me from actually getting to half my shows on time—or at all. Regardless, catching Mary Katrantzou’s stunner of a show (which, for the second season in a row, kicked off the last day of London Fashion Week) made it all worth it. Deceived by the first few looks, which were dominated by silvers and shadows, I imagined that this would be a toned down collection (at least in palette). Boy, was I wrong. Stiff pleats and equally stiff peplums were bolstered by every shade of blue, green, and pink you could imagine; if anyone can invent a new colour or colour combo, it’s Mary. Also new were her prints: spoons, pencils, curtain tassels, typewriters, and other household items were blown up and their digitized versions lent the collection a quirky air. The standout pieces for me, however, were the dresses fashioned from layers and layers (I counted four on one dress) of printed mesh—each had a half inch–thick banded hem that curled the edges of each layer, lending enormous volume to the pieces. Nicholas Mellamphy of the Room at the Bay called this series of dresses “mille-feuille,” and that is exactly how they appeared.

It brings a tear to my eye that London Fashion Week is almost all over for another season—but my feet are not-so-silently rejoicing. A 9 a.m. start at Peter Pilotto meant leaving the house just past 8 this morning, but it was worth it. The Topshop venue, which is the old Billingsgate Market this season, always serves up coffee, tea, and all sorts of yummy dishes (yesterday there was a creamy soup with truffle oil; today there was porridge for breakfast); there’s also the NewGen pop-up where I scored the Erdem tank with a blue porcelain print and white lace collar and the Mary Katrantzou floral tee. Breakfast, shopping, and a show? Every day, please.

View the many (and we mean many) Mulberry celeb attendees »

Where to begin. With the celebs? Lana Del Rey (carrying the namesake Del Rey bag from the ever-growing fashion house), Michelle Williams, the surprisingly petite Elizabeth Olsen, Leigh Lezark, and Ladies Mary and Edith Crawey—I mean Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael—all sat front row at Mulberry; and then there were the models (Jacquetta Wheeler, Irina Lazareanu) and It girls Poppy Delevigne and model/It girl/socialite Caroline Sieber at Matthew Williamson.

Day two of London Fashion Week was a day of literal show themes. First off was Moschino Cheap & Chic, showing in London for the first time—its “Make Up Your Life” Fall collection set in Portland Place (random factoid: this is near the Portland Hospital, where everyone from Victoria Beckham to Claudia Schiffer have given birth). Before the show, we were treated to cocktails and lemonade in the grand living room of a Georgian house; makeup chairs had also been set up to go along with the theme, though the Brit celebs I spotted—Nicola Roberts, Pixie Lott, and a pregnant Peaches Geldof—didn’t seem to take notice. Also present: Olivia Palermo.

What better way to start London Fashion Week than practically getting physically violated at Topshop, where Mary Katrantzou‘s collection launched this morning? Not! But forget that—on to the shows!