London Fashion Week: Margaret Howell doesn’t do gimmickry

Heavy rain and wind and the Chinese New Year celebrations in Trafalgar Square turned central London into a traffic gridlock on Sunday with many fashion shows on the busy schedule delayed or unattainable.

Earlier, the day started quietly at Rambert on the South Bank, the famous ballet school, where Margaret Howell showed her collection in one of the rehearsal rooms. The one thing can be said about the designer (who has a flagship Irish shop in Rathgar) is that she is consistent in her approach to fashion. She doesn’t do irony, gimmickry or retrospection and remains loyal to heritage fabrics and local manufacturing. So this was a handsome show with earthy russet tweeds worn over long pleated skirts, mannish grey pants and slim wrap skirts topped with chunky cable or fine knits all worn in that slouchy boyish way so characteristic of her style.

Given the day that was in it, her black or stone macs would have been practical and chic and the sheepskin gilets stylish protection from the wind. Shirts are always key pieces in Howell’s collection and white shirts started the design career of British duo Palmer Harding three years ago. Since then they have become known for their modern shirting and took it a notch further this season with a fine winter collection inspired by the transformative years of adolescence shown in the Institute of Contemporary Arts in Pall Mall.

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A model on the runway at the Orla Kiely presentation during London Fashion Week at The Vinyl Factory Gallery in London. Photograph: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

Polarising playful silhouettes with more the powerful lines of womanhood, the result was a series of silk dresses twisted around the waist and erratically striped jumpsuits counterpointed with billowing black silk shirts and embroidered floor length capes. Soft makeup and gently braided hair maintained the look of girlhood innocence on the cusp of change.

Making her first NewGen presentation yesterday was Claire Barrow, a fashion artist and fresh talent to watch whose political views on modern, compromised youth inform her graphics and prints, some of which bear an eerie resemblance to Michael Mulcahy’s early work. For the show they embellished silk dresses, leggings and black leather coats, most effectively in tank tops, literally a canvas for her art and ideas. Fashion week continues tomorrow Monday, anticipated highlights being presentations from Erdem, Burberry and Osman.

Simone Rocha

The hottest ticket on Saturday night was for Simone Rocha’s show in the venerable Guildhall, a 12th century landmark in the financial heart of London, normally used for royal occasions and banquets.

The Irish designer, now an established international star, cited the artist Louise Bourgeois as her inspiration as she did six years ago for her NCAD graduate collection, with her brusque show notes referring to Bourgeois’ mammary sculpture Mamelles. More conceptual than recent collections, this one was bold and romantic, playful yet fearless, powered by an aesthetic that is proudly feminine.

The girlish touches that have become her signature - pearls, frills, embroidery and crystal - took a new direction in this collection on black velvet, dark tapestry fabrics and rich strawberry tweeds that surrendered to her jewelled and ruffled flourishes and inventive cutting.

Other Irish heavyweights at the weekend were Orla Kiely and J W Anderson. Kiely's library set had studious looking models scanning bookshelves in their Orla Kiely teddy bear yellow mohair coats, pinafore dresses, block coloured cardigans, grey tights and blocky heeled shoes.

“A terrific show” was Ambassador Dan Mulhall’s verdict. Kiely has just announced a two year sponsorship for a student of textiles at the RCA starting in September and her first collection of watches will be launched in Switzerland in March.

JW Anderson rocked the boat at his show in the Yeomanry Hall attended by his family from Northern Ireland. Its references were the 80s with Lurex blousons, flying fringes, green elephant cords and yellow cowboy boots embellished with silver camellias rather than spurs.

It was bold, unrestrained and like Prada, deliberately challenged conventional notions of bad taste, typical of his cheeky approach. Elsewhere the Sibling show (one of the three designers Cozette McCreery is Irish) was a cracker - its zany multi coloured knits, jewelled cardigans and shocking pink fringed coats (worn with fauxhawks, fake hair Mohawks) were very rock 'n roll, very youthful and for all its devil may care attitude and scowling models, exquisitely crafted and executed.