Life of the party - London Fashion Week Daily

2 News London fashion week the daily Sunday 20 February 2011LFW The Daily CreditsEditorCat CallenderDeputy Editor & Chief Sub EditorMarion JonesArt Director & DesignerBianca WendtManaging EditorJANE MONEYDeputy Chief Sub EditorFiona RussellSub EditorsMichelle Margherita,kirsty hislop, robin wilksDesignerscatherine nippe, emma williams,thomas elliotTReportersDavid Hayes, Julia Robson,Heath Brown, marion hume,susanna lauBeauty Correspondentsannabel meggeson, Jess HoganGuest ContributorsLinda Grant, emma lofstrom,philippa williamsStaff PhotographersAnna Bauer, Marcus Dawes,Shaniqwa JarvisDistribution ManagerFran Weber-NewthProduction ManagerCAROLYN MOTTBlog ReporterEMILY FLEURIOTBlog Commissioning Editoryasmin cokeEditorial Assistantsalison potter, brooke rutherfordRunnersamy maloney, giverney edwardsWebsite DesignerWolfram WiednerBFC Marketing ManagerClara MercerPrinted byThe Guardian Print CentrePublished byJENNY DYSON & CAT CALLENDERAT JEnny & The Cat LtdThanks toThe British Fashion CouncilSomerset HouseH&M for the stYLISH supportM&S for the fashionABLE foodMercedes-Benz for the wit-woo wheelsFor advertising enquiries,email cat@lfwdaily.comlive catwalk illustration At daksBy Julie VerhoevenThe daily shopIt may be A/W on the catwalks,but it’s just turned S/S in store.Here’s our pick of the pack.Compiled by Victoria Bain,sunglasses, £12Asos (asos.com)t-shirt, £55Ann-Sofie Back for Topshop(topshop.com)“clipper” holdall, £189Mulberry (mulberry.com)bracelet, £12Red Herring at Debenhams(debenhams.com)RockstarTodd Lynn has one of the most respectedfashion signatures in London. The tailoringso sharp it could slice through ice; the androgynythat invites a swagger; the sensibility that ispure rock’n’roll. He also now has two seasonsof financial support and mentoring, courtesy ofthe BFC’s Fashion Forward award.“The money’s always useful, but there is alsomentoring that will really help,” says Lynn of theCoutts & Co-sponsored package supported by theLondon Development Agency. “It’s such a creative,amazing journey to do this, but in reality if you don’thave a business sense it won’t get you so far.”It is this issue that Fashion Forward seeksto address, and Canadian Lynn knows well howsuch success confounded many of London’sdesigners for years. Coutts has a long traditionof supporting creative entrepreneurs, and 2011is its second year sponsoring Fashion Forward.Holding out a hand to Lynn is perfectly timed.Here is a label with a clear developing vision,exquisite execution and stealth wearability.“Women who like fashion don’t feel the needto conform,” says Lynn. “These are people I knowand work with. My clothes are fierce, but protective,too.” Cue jackets of butter-soft leather armour,zipped dresses that reveal the silhouette but notthe skin, wool trousers that declare any wearertall and slim, cutting-edge clothes designed“to look good on all people, not just models”.And tomorrow, it’s Lynn’s A/W 11 show. It’s all inthe detail. “All the elements are there,” he says. “It’swhat I’m adding: the Enlightenment, a bitof colour. And it’s winter, it’s leather and fur – furthat’s been farmed properly. I really care about that.”And, of course, there’s rock’n’roll. “I can siton my own in the studio, listening to music, andI can escape,” says Lynn. “I can see things.”Todd Lynn is showing tomorrow at 3pm in WC2BESPOKE FEATUREFashion means businessReport by Julia RobsonBritish fashion is having a “eureka”moment, waking up to ways toharness the endless talent andcreativity it’s famous for. What’s tostop venture capitalists (rememberthem?) pitching up in London andeyeing up a young fashion brand?While creativity is paramount,emerging designers are realising theimportance of building a business.“People often say that fashion is oneof our most important creativeindustries,” said BFC ambassadorSamantha Cameron (below withBFC Chairman Harold Tillman),Four seasons in one dayReport by Heath BrownGlobal warming has hit the catwalksof London, as Spring/Summerstaples creep into collections forA/W 11. Soft billowing silks, bareshoulder lines, hot tribal looksand fresh nautical references – itlooks like designers are predictinga milder spell.Sass & Bide ignored the snowsof late and transported us tosunnier climes. Ikat prints fromAfrica, Balinese references and hotMediterranean colours are morethan enough to keep us warm.Daks’ new collection went a littleflying the flag in Mulberry. “They’rewrong – it’s one of our mostimportant industries, full stop.”(True, last year, British fashioncontributed £21 billion to UK PLC.)Educating designers in businessis the point of initiatives such as theBFC/Vogue Fashion Fund. Tillmanpoints out that the fund’s currentrecipient, Christopher Kane, won onhis business plan as well as hisdesigns. “If we want more people toinvest in fashion, we have to instil asound business sense in our designers.”Photography by Marcus Dawesnautical-but-nice with precise navyand-whiteoutfits that were moreCowes Week than Bonfire Night,and Caroline Charles decided a dayat the races would be far moreinspiring than a cosy Christmas.Daisy-print red chiffon at BettyJackson, halternecks and hot pantsat Aminaka Wilmont, and holidaywhitepalazzo pants with silky printsat Maria Grachvogel all emphasisedthe fact that designers will not bedictated to by the weather. It’s a caseof designing a wardrobe for allseasons, and creating investmentbuys for any time of the year.dress, £65Monsoon Fusion (0844 811 0068)shorts, £115Jaeger London (0845 051 0063)fan, £2.50V&A (vandashop.com)maxi skirt, £95Whistles (whistles.co.uk)“roberta” wedges, £218Anthropologie (anthropologie.co.uk)