London’s finest

Matthew Williamson

Matthew Williamson, at the Royal Opera House, celebrated 15 years of business, and showed a more cohesive collection. We loved the sheer blouses, floor-length chiffon dresses, and Williamson’s mixing of splatter prints and colour blocking.

Jasper Conran

We liked Jasper Conran’s autumn–winter 2012–13 collection, giving us a neatly edited collection of staple items, notably fitted dresses and coats. The colour palette was equally restrained, with nudes, blacks, browns and greys—and instead of a contrasting colour jumping out to catch attention, Conran used shiny silvers to give his collection a lift.

Issa London

Issa was particularly enjoyable. Think 1960s and 1970s, Asiatic Russia, paisley, bold prints, floral motifs, Chinese embroidery, kaftans and silk gowns, as Daniella Helayel took us on a trans-Siberian journey for autumn–winter 2012–13. It’s impossible to avoid mentioning the Duchess of Cambridge—Issa is one of her favourites—but this time, it’s a little less royal, unless you’re looking at the evening gowns. Helayel has pushed the envelope, and we’re thankful—the last thing we wanted to see her do was stagnate and fail to move on from the royal connection.