Basso & Brooke A/W11 London

Once again it was the digital printing that made this collection so stunning.  This was a series of camouflage effects drawn from the world of nature and birds, even from a photograph of organic decay on a wall.  You all know I love pattern and the patterning here was highly complex and subtle and played interestingly on the two-sided idea of both standing out and blending in.   I also love stand-alone clothes that do everything you want them to do and for the most part these looks were stripped of design ‘extras’.  The hair however was highly distracting and seemed almost to blend into the fabric which might have worked, but especially with the turtlenecks it looked as though all those lovely patterns had sprouted brown hairy shoulders.

Source: Style.com

Bora Aksu A/W11 London

Back at Somerset House for Bora Aksu’s collection, showing in the main tent for the first time.  This was a hard one to pin down as it was part futuristic, part theatrical, part Victoriana.  The unifying factor was the colour, mainly pebble greys and beiges with just a flash of sharper greens and blues.  Beyond that there was a lot of very intricate and contrasting panelling, neat bodices on top of puffball skirts, sheer sleeves under wide capes, cabled wool cascading over metallics as well as lace.  It was beautifully constructed and looked pleasingly autumnal.