LFW Diary: The dispatch from Temperley, Issa, Todd Lynn, and a roundup of Brit celebs who sat “frow”

Anais Pouliot at Temperley London shot by Mike Marsland/WireImage
Anais Pouliot at Temperley London shot by Mike Marsland/WireImage

Day two of London Fashion Week was a day of literal show themes. First off was Moschino Cheap & Chic, showing in London for the first time—its “Make Up Your Life” Fall collection set in Portland Place (random factoid: this is near the Portland Hospital, where everyone from Victoria Beckham to Claudia Schiffer have given birth). Before the show, we were treated to cocktails and lemonade in the grand living room of a Georgian house; makeup chairs had also been set up to go along with the theme, though the Brit celebs I spotted—Nicola Roberts, Pixie Lott, and a pregnant Peaches Geldof—didn’t seem to take notice. Also present: Olivia Palermo.

Set to a beautiful live set sung by Lianne La Havas, the collection was surprisingly pastel; so much so, in fact, that I had to double check that it was a Fall collection we were seeing, not Spring. Canadian star and current FASHION cover girl Anais Pouliot opened the show (she opened Temperley later in the day, too), which was rife—as to be expected—with cheeky lip, eye, nail polish bottle, lipstick, and other makeup prints. Chiffon dresses, lacy dresses, sweaters with crochet detailing, colour blocking, and bobble-fur trims completed the happy show.

Also showing today were John Rocha, Canadian Todd Lynn (liked that his collection this season was slightly less severe, though the girls’ stiffly gelled ponytails looked uncomfortable and impossible to wash), Temperley, and Issa (both Middleton favourites). At Temperley, Minnie Driver sat “frow” (as the Brits like to say) to a collection that was dripping with decadence. Gorgeous, vibrant florals were punctuated with a gold-brocade suit here, a floor-length black velvet gown there, and Russian-inspired fur toppers everywhere. Bits of the collection felt a bit disjointed, but I could picture most of it on Pippa and Kate—and that’s what counts, no?

Meanwhile, Issa’s Fall collection was easily summed up by my ticket, which read “Trans-Siberian Express.” The collection was literally this—only a little more colourful, and of course, in mostly jersey, with the odd brocade piece thrown in for good measure. The paisley prints were also slightly out of place, but Camilla Al Fayed, who bought the label last year, and Gemma Arterton, who sat next to her, both looked pleased.

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