London

London Fashion Week kicked off officially today in a somewhat subdued mood (no Anna Wintour to blow fear and excitement into the proceedings this time around) with a sprinkling of reasonably good shows by some of the capital's recently established designers, including Ashish, Peter Jensen, Gardem. There were also a few obscure off-schedule shows, shop openings and parties thrown in for good measure. Feature continues

The usual helping of controversy this season came to us courtesy of Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell who, having heard that Madrid Fashion Week recently banned girls with a BMI (body mass index, the height to weight ratio) below 18, is trying to make London designers follow suit. She may have good intentions at heart (the average BMI for women in this country is 24) but she clearly doesn’t know the London fashion scene. This the city that launched waif girls Kate Moss and Jodie Kidd in the 1990s and Twiggy back in the 1960s. Designers in this town don’t seem to like their models wholesome and healthy-looking, instead favouring them all angular and moody, which is why the catwalks are still full of the usual sinewy sticks like stringy red-headed Londoner Lily Cole. ‘It’s not about size, it’s about health,’ retorted M&S, one of London Fashion Week’s main backers, ‘If the girl eats well, exercises and looks good, then their BMI has nothing to do with it.’

But how about the clothes? A slightly lacklustre first day was bolstered by the strong, focused collection presented by 25-year-old south Londoner Danielle Scutt for Fashion East. Her punchy, neat, strictly tailored mini skirts with a profusion of carefully sculpted ruffles at the back and cropped jackets with a tidy burst of more ruffles at the front, wasp-waisted 1970 pencil skirts with thin shiny belts done up high on the waist, made for a strong, don’t-mess-with-me silhouette. Scutt, whose models came bounding down the catwalk with attitude and neat high quiffs, before standing in a formidable formation at the end of the catwalk looking like they could eat you for supper, is intent on creating a strong new persona for women. Judging by this show it looks like she’s well on her way to doing just that by cleverly combining sharp cuts with a dash of cocktail glamour and a tough urban edge. It felt fresh, dynamic and a welcome new arrival.

Scutt was backed up by up-and-coming 26-year-old knitwear designer Louise Goldin, also a Londoner showing for her first time with Fashion East, whose small but perfectly formed collection of knitwear, including intricate embellished leggings, body-hugging spider-web dresses and cropped sweaters, will no doubt walk straight on to the rails of London’s most exclusive designer boutiques within the next few months. Looks like both these girls, touted by Time Out just last week, have potential to go far.