Ruffles and romance rule the runway

THE BIG surprise at John Rocha's spring show in London at the weekend was the injection of colour, a departure for a designer better known for monochrome collections firmly rooted in handcraft.

The dense, frothy confections in scarlet, pink and biscuit shades that swung down the catwalk in curvaceous Victorian silhouettes were topped with clouds of watercoloured organza making for a look that was fresh and romantic.

"I just felt like a change," he said backstage. Shapely and elaborately textured, the dresses were counterpointed by sleek trouser and shorts suits in gold or sparkling black brocade with city sheen and polish.

His collection was inspired by the light of Provence and time spent at property developer Paddy McKillen's Chateau Lacoste in the south of France, he said, where his latest project is an art installation comprising 28,000 pieces of Waterford crystal.

Another special light, that of the Carrara marble mountains in Tuscany, was the starting point for Nicole Farhi's collection shown in the modernist surroundings of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Her crisp white suits featured angular architectural style details and her chalky white racer back silks and see-through trench coats were light and lovely. There were other surprises from the old guard.

Jasper Conran's rockabilly collection on barefoot models against a soundtrack of the McGarrigle sisters, all applique cowboy denim, sequinned tunics and patchwork ballgowns, was a luxury take on country and western motifs.

Margaret Howell's boyish suits, pinafores and shirt dresses in navy and white didn't stray from her signature androgynous approach.

But London is throbbing with new talent, among them Holly Fulton, whose striped cotton and raffia sun dresses in bubblegum colours and hand-painted clear plastic jackets had a light-hearted seaside air as did her pink pin-up prints on everything from dresses and trousers to accessories.

The city's gilded youth turned out in force yesterday for Topshop's Unique show live streamed from a very elaborate tent in Bedford Square to the soundtrack of Blondie's 70s hit Heart of Glass.

This was a terrific collection of loose-limbed silk separates in black and white graphic and floral prints with a new sexiness in the mix of sheer and solid fabrics, very much a continuing trend for next season.

THE IRISH AT LONDON FASHION WEEK

Brands 'getting clever' at associating with latest trends

FROM BRAY, Co Wicklow, Maria O’Sullivan (left), is senior account manager with Fuse, a sports and entertainment agency whose main client Vodafone is the principal sponsor of London Fashion Week.

London Fashion Week Weekend is a public event after fashion week, with shows and reduced prices on designer wear. “It’s a way of bringing fashion to the masses and giving customers exclusive access,” she explains.

With a marketing degree from Dublin Institute of Technology, O’Sullivan moved to London four years ago, working initially for the British Fashion Council’s sponsorship department. “People have suddenly started to recognise fashion’s appeal to the masses, particularly women, and brands are getting clever at becoming associated with it,” she says. O’Sullivan lives in Islington with her partner.

Dubliner who knows how to spin a yarn is in demand

A Dubliner and TCD graduate in business studies and German, Denise Higgins moved to London six years ago after a brief stint travelling and working in Germany. In London she completed a master’s degree in fashion marketing at the London College of Fashion and joined Thomas Pink as in-house PR before moving to Starworks, a major US agency based in New York and Los Angeles dressing VIPs and celebrities.

Its London office, where she works as senior account manager, concentrates mostly on PR as well as celebrity dressing. Higgins looks after designers showing in London Fashion Week such as Jonathan Saunders and Roksanda Ilincic, with February and September fashion weeks her busiest times of the year.