LONDON FASHION WEEK: Exuberant colour and prints for next spring and summer may be dominating the catwalks at London Fashion Week, but yesterday John Rocha remained steadfast to his own monochrome style. Deirdre McQuillan, Fashion Editor, reports.
In a mainly black and white collection, notable for his familiar handworked appliqué and crochet detail, colour appeared only occasionally - on application, as it were.
Stiffened and hooped skirts were full and luxuriant, and cloaked in leather petals of feathery motifs in silk and velvet. Swaying from side to side like shortened versions of the bustle, they were embellished with enormous sunflower embroideries, trailing ribbons or large intricate circles of crochet. There were sheer glitter mesh vests, but most of the elaborate black tops were rouched, gathered and swagged. A pretty skirt with rainbow shades of striped silk lifted the collection into a sunny mood - but how such intricate detail translates to the street is anyone's guess.
Nicole Farhi's Gallic ability to translate scary street trends into safe day wear has made her name a "lifestyle" brand, and her collection had that modern mixture of sweetness and hard edge. Held in the baroque splendour of Whitehall's Banqueting Hall, her confetti and cosy prints, watercolour chiffons and ruffle dresses were so light and playful you could blow them away in a puff but for their armour of black leather biker jackets, cowboy fringes and cotton parkas. There was a touch of the 50s in her flared embroidered linen dresses, but putting black ruffled mini- dresses over cropped trousers showed one way of dealing effectively with that 60s trend.
There were no 60s trends at Pringle, where Scotch whiskey was served before the show, held in the Open Air Theatre in Holland Park. It would have taken more than hot toddies, however, to revive the spirits after this lacklustre reworking of their familiar twin-sets and argyle checks. Day-glo knit swimwear, pink knickers and slashed navy silks may not be the way forward for this august old brand that seems to have lost its way.
While navy-blue and white tennis dresses were playing it safe, it was game, set and match to the past by comparison.
Earlier in the day, two young bloods offered more vigorous collections, with prints as centrepieces. Bora Aksu is a Turkish-born graduate of St Martin's who gives a playful twist to candy-stripe cottons and subtle delicate prints in bra-strap dresses.
Award-winning Jonathan Saunders is a print designer with the strength of Pucci when it comes to tailoring intricate kaleidoscopic colours to modern dress trends. Not everybody could wear his skin-tight bodysuits, but sunburst chiffon capes, halter dresses with parachute straps, tiny pleating details and flouncy skirts brought form, colour and pattern together in a fresh and girlish way for springtime.