Hello Femenina

Despite the fact that our lovely, famously charming city of London is just as famous for its dense fog as it is for its rich metropolitan culture, the Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear shows were anything but dreary. Following steps that were previously taken in past weeks in New York City, London had us batting our eyelashes at the abundant sheer fabrics and sleek geometrical hemlines that floated down their catwalks like fall leaves.

Pom-pom inspired earrings, booties, and necklines from House of Holland and Sass & Bide transformed minimalist-chic to attention-stealing goddess, milking our desire for a pair of velvet-covered platform sandals by Acne. Heavenly shades of white took prominence among bold bursts of color from Antonio Berardi, the mastermind of texture and depth. Black and white joined forces, coming together again across the Atlantic for visual stories that both captured and awed. Fabrics took on a level of fluidity and grace in the collection of Basso & Brooke, marrying patterns and solids in happy unions. Lively in shiny leather leggings, 8-inch spiked pumps, and ingenious throws of color, Burberry Prorsum rivaled Betsey Johnson’s rock n’ roll chick from NYC with an uncanny touch of elegant Euro punk and military panache. Lucio Fontana, the 1960s painter who inspired Emilio de la Morena’s collection, left us reaching for a pair of scissors in the hopes of recreating his playful display of delicate cut-outs and slashes. The ballet reminiscent sundresses of Erdem never ceased to thrill as we were guided through a garden of calico-covered lace and luscious appliqués. Corrie Nielsen, Alice Palmer, and Jade Kang of Fashion Fringe were ingenious in their raw creativity, prompting garments with over-exaggerated silhouettes, romantic pleats, and bouncy bustles. Jonathan Saunders stole our hearts as he returned us to the 1940s and 50s with crimson red lips, feminine box pleats, and minty green accents while the sensuous, boudoir-esque designs from Julien Macdonald strutted towards us with alarming confidence and preppy wit. The mesmerizing collages of pattern, emerging from crushed velvet and airy silk by Michael van der Ham, cascaded away leaving us shell-shocked and in love with utter chaos. Peter Pilotto’s subtly sexy daywear reminded us that attraction can stem from long, curvy hemlines and calf-length skirts while Twenty8Twelve, brought to us by sisters Sienna and Savannah Miller, filled our inner girl with enough frills and sunshine yellow to leave our cup feeling half full.

Being a modern woman has never looked or felt so good; hello femenina, the time to be a lady has come again.

Collection of Antonio Berardi