London

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London Fashion Week got off to a rainy start as fashion editors dodged puddles in their pointy leather brogues (the style du jour for the ladies this season) and the size zero debate raged on with no sign of abating. Ironically, we'd never seen such a bunch of healthy, rosy cheeked babes, including a newly buxom Lily Cole as seen at the Alice McCall show. Feature continues

Peter Jensen's understated chic

But what about the all important clothes we'll be wearing this winter? Peter Jensen, the Danish designer known for his quirky prints and vivid palette, kicked off proceedings with an uncharacteristically sombre collection. In mainly black and grey, it took inspiration from Christine of Denmark, a 16th century Princess once painted by Holbein. He gave the seemingly prim-looking voluminous ball gowns an urban edge by cutting them in nylon. For men, it was equally intriguing - a dash of gothic glamour in the form of crepe de chine shirts and satin trimmed tuxedos infiltrated his usual geek aesthetic. A polished and wearable collection of sumptuous silks and slim-cut trousers made it highly sellable.

Danielle Scutt 's punchy glamour for Fashion East

A quick jaunt across WC1 to the delightful Conway Hall in Holborn’s Red Lion Square to newcomer Duro Olowu’s bright and bold first LFW collection. Olowu, who won the British Fashion Council’s New Designer of the Year in 2005, sent out models of various skin tones, from black to white via Asian, kitted out in vibrant, African prints in smock dresses that swayed with each step. Olowu, who was born in Lagos to a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother, brought a new sense of grace and elegance to Fashion Week mixing up tribal prints with modern London silhouettes. It’s just the tonic the city needed.