British bulldog days

London Fashion Week got off to a sparkling start today, with everyone really curious to see what the brand new venue looked like.






The size and grandeur of the Natural History Museum was always going to be hard to beat, but the awesome backdrop of the River Thames and the London Eye from Somerset House is simply breathtaking. The sun shone too, which made it even better.

Delicious canapés were served by pretty and polite waitresses - though some hip, happening folks (see left) took the less healthy lunch option.


The furnishings had a retro feel. Seeing this TV took me back in time to the days when I watched Andy Pandy in front of a flickering black and white screen. I can’t ever recall seeing a Bush television quite this large, though – could this be a newly assembled imitation version … oops, sorry, a quirky piece of design art?



This 1960s table, right, looks pretty authentic though, in fact my parents had one almost exactly the same.



The courtyard is a fabulous location for the LFW tents – whilst you’re waiting for the shows, you can also indulge in a spot of al fresco champagne quaffing – it’s simply de rigueur daaaahling! But best of all, in my opinion, is the view of the river - I was constantly drawn to it, despite the clothes .





Even though the hedonistic days of the bull market are long gone, there’s still the odd doff of a hat to the good old days (see above right). As well as the new generation of designers, I was pleased to see that there were some old faces too - including one of my all time favourites, Zandra Rhodes.





However, it tends to be eco-friendly fashion that attracts the most attention these days ... and the Chairman of the British Fashion Council, Harold Tillman, launched Estethica - the ethical exhibition - this afternoon, to a flurry of interest from the press.

Whilst I’ll miss the old LFW site, I’m really impressed with the new setting – it somehow seems a touch more homely and inviting than before. It’s slightly academic though, as I’m off to California for a few days tomorrow.





I might even meet up with Timmy Woods, the Beverly Hills based designer of this limited edition British bulldog bag that’s now available at ShopCurious. There are only ten of these original hand-painted bags in the whole world … and Michelle Obama has one of the other nine. I think the Swarovski crystal studded Union Jack is very appropriate, though I have a feeling that our Great British bulldog days may be numbered.

Do you?