If there's one British designer who can reinvent the classics with style, it is Jasper Conran.
Yesterday at London Fashion Week, as his first model swept up the runway in skintight breeches, black leather boots and a commanding floorlength coat, it was clear that he was cracking the whip at British equestrian regalia, transporting hunting pinks, stiff stocks and taut riding coats into other parade grounds with a masterly hand.
His catwalk dressage riders were smart, modern city women in high-heeled boots, chalk leather breeches and chestnut leather jackets, ready for any kind of robust action, crop in gloved hand.
Even the colours had the whiff of grand English country houses with their tones of walnut, lichen, ink and snuff. Waistcoats of chiffon and leather, elbow patches on cutaway jackets and skirts inset with suede were sleek, chic and anything but county.
There were side saddle skirts, cut on the bias to flatter the derrière, skirts of tooled leather or piebald hide.
Everything was taut, tight-fitting and cut with flattering exactitude.
Engaging, feminine details were the chiffon cape sleeves (capes of all kind are a recurring theme for winter), black ribboned polo necks and bell-sleeved jackets. An inky navy cutaway suit with flared tails for day and a pink pleated chiffon dress for evening summed up the subtlety and sexiness of this collection.
Conran designs an inexpensive range in less luxurious fabrics for Debenhams, as does Antoni and Alison, a design team known for their witty, arty and often whimsical designs, particularly in knitwear.
A single drumbeat and the sound of munched crisps accompanied a show that drew admiring and amused smiles from the audience as models paraded an array of fine and chunky knitwear, sheath dresses and "minky" coats.
Beautifully finished and skilfully designed, it was a collection that made child's play out of adult shapes. There were "monster" jumpers, pompom frilled jackets, mohair Frankenstein jumpers, green dresses with patch sleeves and heart and apple print jumpers, accessorised with cake frill neckpieces. Apron skirts came splashed with images and cartoons. Though displayed by frosty faced models with sleek, puffed out hairstyles, you could call it a "tongue in chic" collection and certainly its lighthearted, impish sense of fun was a relief on a grey, wet day.
Earlier, fashion press and buyers waited patiently for nearly 1½ hours to see Preen's collection on the 27th floor of the Empress State building in Olympia, and some marched out in protest at the delay.
The two designers, Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi from the Isle of Man, whose show was sponsored by TopShop, are known for recycling vintage fabrics. In this show much of the knitwear looked like an awkward patchwork of reworked cardigans. It was a collection inspired by Belle de Jour, but despite their best efforts to refresh the trench coat in cashmere and some angular, high-collared sheepskin waistcoats, there was too much unnecessary detail and not enough polish in this collection to make it exciting or new.