London Fashion Week S/S 08

Saying that London has a little Fashion Week is like saying Britain is a small country: What it lacks in actual size, it makes up for in power. How else can you explain the appearance of Kate Moss, the return of Matthew Williamson, and the recurring front row seat of Anna Wintour, all in five days?

Our must-discuss moments of the week are below…

The Front Row at Allegra Hicks
Some catwalks in New York are billed as "socialite shows," but Allegra's front row lineup beat them all. India Hicks, Rufus Abermarle and his wife Sally, Lulu Guinness and her daughter Madeleine, and Sophie Fiennes all took their place out front, as breezy chiffon gowns based on Botticelli paintings floated by. Don't think they won't appear in Tatler next year!

Luella Bartley's Homecoming Dance
It's only fitting that London's party dress queen gets a big bash after her fashion show, especially if it's her first UK runway in years. Luella's late-night bash at Claridge's didn't disappoint, with Poppy Delevigne, Peaches Geldof, Erin O'Conner, and Kelly Osbourne swinging into the hotel for a dance.

Christopher Kane's Denim Corset
How do you follow up pleated leather dresses? With denim corsets and tailored snake-print chiffon, of course. That was the menu for Christopher Kane's latest collection, but even more impressive – a big chunk of the clothes had been made just days before the show, after pieces from Kane's studio were stolen in a robbery!

Prince at Matthew Williamson
The lights dimmed, and suddenly a spotlight: We all saw Prince, smack in the middle of the front row, strutting from the audience up to the runway. A microphone appeared, backup singers emerged, and voila: a secret performance of "Chelsea Girl" was taking place, and only the London fashion pack got to see. Considering the show was held at 11 am, it was the wakeup call everyone needed – including the models, who mouthed Prince lyrics during the show!

Gareth Pugh's Balloon Pop
Editors were scared out of their seats on Sunday night, as fashion trickster Gareth Pugh began his show with a bang – literally. He popped a giant balloon filled with glitter onstage, causing everyone to jump before settling in for a blackly beautiful collection of sheath dresses and silver capes. There were still the usual theatrics – a mink stole sewn to look like dead mice, giant tribal headdresses – but unlike past Pugh performances, you could actually wear things from this collection.

The ISSA Acrobat
After a series of pretty capes and caftans, ISSA's real spectacle began on the catwalk: an acrobat walked onto the runway wearing the label's trademark butterfly print, and quickly swung and twirled herself into a trapeze act. The audience gasped, but we weren't surprised – what's London Fashion Week without some over-the-top magic?

— Faran Krentcil

NY Fashion Week S/S 08

It's been a week of clothes and catwalks in New York, as almost a hundred designers released their creations at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

There was good. There was bad. There was Victoria Beckham. And then there was aSmallWorld, watching for haute glimmers and high hems from the front row.

Below are our favorite runway picks, plus a healthy dose of buzz - after all, what good is a great dress if nobody's talking about it?

Marc Jacobs
America's moody genius threw a fashion curveball by showing his looks in reverse - first came shredded chiffon dresses, then the poplar daywear in Crayola colored solids and a memorable rugby t-shirt gown stamped with varsity numbers. But what will the fashion crowd remember more - that the collection was messy magic or that the show started two hours late?

Rodarte
For a pair of suburban sisters, Kate and Laura Mulleavy cause a lot of drama. Witness the critical chaos that ensued last year when their Rodarte collection fiercely divided the style community. Vogue hailed them as a revelation and a revolution, while The Times thought their pieces to be pillowcases. This season, with Camilla Nickerson styling, we saw more control in their gowns and rumpled pants that, frankly, looked incredible.

Sari Gueron
Most of these pieces were stamped with a giant 'must have' - sharply- shaped dresses you could pull on in a second; tailored nylon jackets that skimmed the body like cocktail wear. The casually cool surfer girl has found a perfect balance, fusing her bohemian flair with a hint of understated sexiness.

Ruffian
With their trademark whipped shoulders and a new floral print, Brian Wolk and Claude Morais brought more color and sculptured shapes to their runway than ever before. With nods to Southern glamour, avant-garde art, and precocious uptown youth - as seen in several pairs of lush fabric leggings - the clothes garnered particular praise from social starlets like Plum Sykes.

Katy Rodriguez
Styled by Madonna's personal clothes horse, Arianne Phillips, the Katy Rodriguez collection showed LA style at its best - glamorous, blackly beautiful, and too cool to care. Girls particularly swooned for the shiny, tight cocktail dresses in jeweled greens and blues, though they'll have to act now - Katy's pack of starlet fans will surely swipe them fast for their red carpet regime.

Benjamin Cho
Theatrics are expected from this downtown designer, but dangerously clean jackets and dresses were the main course on his runway. Especially admired were a series of sheaths infused with amethysts, which glowed at the heart like a stylish superhero emblem. The scene before the show was just as electric, with Tara Subkoff and Chloe Sevigny arriving in teetering heels, and Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez chatting with The Times' Cathy Horyn in the front row - she's a fan of Ben's; they're old friends from Parsons. The show had an easygoing atmosphere, but it might prove the turning point in Cho's career - he's already been plucked by the L.A. brand Thrive to work as their new designer.

— Faran Krentcil

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin S/S 08

Rudolf Dassler by Puma

Karl Lagerfeld got his start in Germany, but who’s next? The answer may come on July 13, when Berlin hosts their first official Fashion Week. Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz, the three day event at Brandenberg Gate promises a major fashion adventure for all involved. But who will come away with the most buzz? ASW tracks the style contenders…

Anglomania: Vivienne Westwood
Think of it as Marc by Marc for punks: Anglomania is the diffusion line by Vivienne Westwood and, starting this year, it gets its very own fashion show. Expect loads of plaid, heels and combat boots, and a general sense of beautiful mayhem as only Ms. Westwood can provide. And after her memorable public outing to the Life Ball in Vienna this May, the political messages she famously blares on the catwalk may move more towards AIDS relief. Still, if you find yourself without a show ticket, just memorize Vivienne’s famous slogan, ‘Ich bin kein terrorist’ – that’s ‘I am not a terrorist’ in German – to sail through to the front row.

Strenesse by Gabriele Strehle
There’s a reason why Julianne Moore and Victoria Beckham always look so sleek: they’re often wearing clothes by Gabriele Strehle. Like Missoni and Prada, the Strenesse label was created in the 1940s by Gabriele’s parents, but by 1970 their daughter had taken over the line as creative director. With her appointment came a new vision: a company dedicated to creating modern, wearable sportswear for real German women. The results were sleek sweater dresses, silk skinny pants cut 30 years before Dior Homme’s, and a neutral color palette of steel and chrome that still resonates with German design today. Though Gabriele is based in Berlin, this marks her first German fashion show – until last year, she showed her collection in the Bryant Park Tents in New York.

Rudolf Dassler by Puma
Sometimes sibling rivalry results in years of therapy, but in the case of the Dasslers, a fight between two brothers sparked two of the biggest names in fashion; while Adolf Dassler founded Adidas, his brother Rudolf created the sneaker empire, Puma. Celebrating its 60th birthday this year, Puma now has guest lines by Alexander McQueen, Philippe Starck, and Christy Turlington. Though Dassler himself passed away in the ’70s, his spirit lives on in a new range of blazers, jackets and pants that bridge the gap between sportswear and actual sports and seem to capture the German ideals of efficiency and beauty with a jagged urban flavor that nobody else seems to nail down. And since the show mixes men’s and women’s designs, you can expect some major eye candy on the Puma runway!

C-Neeon and the New Gen Celebration
Those familiar with London Fashion Week know that the New Generation show is the place to find up-and-coming talent – Christopher Kane memorably showed in their lineup before getting hired by Versace. Now the New Gen team brings their fashion flair to Berlin, where a giant final bash features five emerging designers in a catwalk battle for a cash award. Our pick? C-Neeon, the design duo whose draped jersey dresses and electric prints make them a cooler, misbehaved version of Marni or Miu Miu. With fans like Sienna Miller and Lily Allen, they already have some fashion traction.

— Faran Krentcil

London Fashion Week F/W 2007: The Ones To Watch

Christopher Kane

Not many new designers get a gift from Donatella Versace, but Christopher Kane isn’t your typical rookie. After graduating last year from Central Saint Martins with almost every award there is to win, Mr. Kane won a place at the House of Versace as Donatella’s style consultant for the runways. Coincidentally (or not), that’s exactly when Versace’s clothes became bolder and more relevant than they have in recent memory.

As a thank you and a show of support, Christopher’s models stomped London Fashion Week in designer shoes sent from Madame Versace herself. The collection was lauded by British Vogue as a breakthrough, and Mr. Kane was quickly sent on the fast track to stardom – months after his fifty pieces debuted on the catwalk, he scored a capsule collection deal with Top Shop. The news set off a Proenza-for-Target kind of fury, with girls scouring the Internet looking for any hint of the new clothes. They debut at London Fashion Week...

Christopher Kane

Kisa London

When this Russian label debuted last season on the catwalk, many in the industry were startled – tailored silk and chiffon was nothing new; stenciled skulls and dragons were quite popular. But to fuse them together in a coherent, beautiful, and almost unbearably cool way got the crowd’s attention, and a style star was born.

Now back for their sophomore effort, Kisa promises a runway of exquisitely made dresses and blazers, stamped in a unique array of colors and patterns that play into their vintage-with-a-twist aesthetic. But perhaps what’s off the runway will be just as noticed as what’s on it: sources promise the audience for this show will include British royal family members, several A-list starlets, and a supermodel – a Russian one, perhaps?

Basso & Brooke

House of Holland

24-year-old Henry Holland isn’t just charming (and he is, famously so – just ask Anna Wintour, who met him the night before the CFDA/ Vogue awards and promptly ushered him to the event as her guest). But Henry’s also quite charmed – how else would you explain a childhood friendship with model Agyness Deyn, a t-shirt he made in his bedroom that became world famous, and a sudden following of Lohans, Olsens, and rock stars?

Henry Holland started House of Holland two years ago, while working as a fashion assistant for a British teen magazine. It began with one garment, a huge t-shirt you could wear as a dress that screamed Love Me Some Lohan in huge black letters. Somehow, Lindsay got the shirt, and the rest is history – a slew of designer slogans like “Do Me Daily, Christopher Bailey” now sweep the shirts of club kids in Europe and America. Barneys and Seven New York sold out of their stock in days. And now, Henry’s showing at Fashion East, a launch pad for emerging designers that promises even more publicity and orders. Did Anna Wintour pick a winner right from the start? Stay tuned…

Gareth Pugh

Basso & Brooke

Last year, Bruno Basso and Chris Brooke held their show in a dungeon. It ran two hours late because it took so long for audience members (including Anna Wintour, Suzy Menkes, Hilary Alexander, and artist Matthew Stone) to find the underground passageway to the runway, and once the show started, green lasers lit up the sky.

Most collections would shrink in comparison to such presentation, but Basso’s wildly printed confections held their own: sheer evening gowns that billowed when they moved, sharply twisted belts and bows in vivid silk colors, and an overall Lewis Carroll appeal of slightly mad beauty that was both sexy and fanciful, and maybe a little bit mean.

This season, the clothes promise to be more controlled and more sophisticated – after all, the Fashion Fringe winners are now in their fourth catwalk season, with support from Aeffe and a bonafide British pop star – rave princess Namalee Bowles – as their stylist.

Gareth Pugh

It was the best fashion rumor of last season: designer Rick Owens was investing in Gareth Pugh’s fledgling fashion business, and the 25-year-old would continue showing in London. At least for now, the gossip appears to be true, and Pugh is back for his third season.

Gareth got his start making costumes for Britain’s National Youth Theatre; later he made crazy club outfits for his London friends in bands. His first collection last February featured black latex bunny suits and Hamish Bowles laughing hysterically in the front row; last year, he put sharp silver trenches and Star Wars inspired masks on models he cast through MySpace.

As for this season? There will actually be more things to wear on the catwalk, though you can expect the usual theatrics too – and rumor has it, the music is a brand new track by The Scissor Sisters, who are apparently fast fans of fashion’s new mad scientist.

The Pop Magazine Party

It’s not a fashion show, but frankly, it may as well be – Pop Magazine’s party for London Fashion Week will be jammed with starlets, stilettos, and more fashion plates than a Style.com archive can handle. Hosted by Katie Grand, Pop’s founder and – currently – Drew Barrymore’s stylist on the Giles/ New Look line, the party is importing the MisShapes to DJ from New York. Look for the usual party suspects – Lily Cole, Camilla Al Fayed, some Guinness girls – plus perhaps a special guest star… Lindsay Lohan is rumored to be Pop’s next cover star, shot by Mert & Marcus shortly after she did their Miu Miu ads.

— Faran Krentcil