It appears Matthew Williamson was inspired by ancient Rome, both military and Parliament, for his Fall 2010 collection.  His first looks had the signature Williamson aesthetic.  Somewhere during the middle of the runway show the Roman look appeared, and it was an unexpected surprise.  The fabric and draping were the central players; the collection as a whole came in cobalt blue, gray, pink, mustard and Williamson’s signature prints.  One look at the sheen of the gold and bronze, the one shoulder draping and the shoes, and you will be taken back to Rome in ancient times.  Of course the metallic fabrics were more like the armour of the army.  Think back to Julius Ceasar, Mark Antony and Cleopatra.  The fabric choice was very luxurius and the draping created the visual interest.  Hemlines remained tastefully at mid-thigh, so most women will be able to wear these looks without becoming victims of fashion.

Matthew Williamson Spring 2010

London Fashion Week is enjoying a major resurgence.  British designers are returning to London to show their collections again; they are breaking the pattern of showing in New York, Milan or Paris.  The city’s fashion week revival is long overdue because of its wealth of emerging and innovative talent.  Burberry Prorsum, Matthew Williamson, Pringle of Scotland, Jonathan Saunders and Antonio Berardi all returned for spring 2010, and will make an encore appearance for fall 2010.  Fashion Week is from February 19 – 24, 2010 and the excitement can hardly be contained.  “The British Fashion Council is delighted that all five have confirmed they will show in London this February and we look forward to working with them to attract leading media and buyers to London Fashion Week.”  The excitement is not limited to the UK, the fashion industry as a whole rejoices.

London Life [Vogue UK]

Corsets appear to be the rage in London; they are selling out in Selfridges in a 24 hour period.  The sale of underwear is not necessarily news all by itself, but it’s corsets being worn as outerwear that’s making headlines.  The luxury department store has seen sales of corsets increase by 70% over the last year.  Increased sales of corsets are being credited or blamed on Lady Gaga and Rihanna.  “The trend for underwear worn as outerwear is more popular than ever,” says an expert.  Several stores and brands are already putting a rush on their corset orders to take advantage of the lingerie craze.  We’ll be on corset-watch here in the U.S. because we know it will be here soon.  So let the countdown begin.

Selfridge Corsets Sell Out As Sexy Lingerie Becomes A Must Have This Christmas [Daily Star]

Photo: Courtesy of Chopard

Penelope Cruz sparkled in Chopard jewelry at the world premiere of Nine in London.  Her briolette cut and pear shaped diamond earrings lit up the stars smile.  That smile says it’s concealing a secret, the over 7 carats in diamonds she has on her ears.  You would smile as well.  The earrings also perfectly complemented her ice blue sequin gown.  Penelope shimmered brilliantly on her big night just as she intended.

Burberry revealed a collection of yummy trenches for spring 2010.  They were chic, short and feminine.  The lavendar trench with the ruching in the shoulders and arms was to die for.  The proportions of the coats are visually stimulating; there’s so much to look at, without being fussy or overdone.  The nude colored trench with ruching throughout was so lovely that it could be worn as a belted mini dress.  Then there was the metallic trench with the slightly scalloped edges and pockets.  The silver trench with the ruching on the sides was so demure and sweet, with a side of sexy.  These jackets are not your mother’s trenches, and that may be a good thing.  We all know that Burberry will never fully depart from the plaid for which this house is famous, but it’s great to see a willingness to embrace change.  We’re only days into fall, but I’m already counting the days to spring, and um, rain?

New York ranked No. 3 among the major fashion cities in the world, and hearts are breaking all over the city tonight.  If you’re wondering who took the top spots, that would be Paris, followed by Milan.  That came from a survey of 10,000 people worldwide.  We won’t take this personally.  Paris is the birth place of haute couture, and is home to many bold named designers.  It’s also on my list of places to visit soon.  I never made it over to Milan while in Rome, but if Rome was any indication, Milan is well deserving of its place on the list.  Incidentally London and Rome rounded out the top five in that order.  The good news is the cities with major fashion weeks took the top spots.  Hopefully New York will do better next year, the chant of we’re number three doesn’t have the same ring to it as ‘we’re number one’. 

 World’s Most Stylish Cities [Forbes}

I was thinking? Oh, oh!  My friends tend to brace themselves whenever I start a sentence that way.  Don’t worry, this time it’s harmless.  If I had $100,000 to go shopping in any of the four major fashion capitals in the world, which would I choose?  Do you have a preference?  Would it be the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, Via Monte Napoleone in Milan, Bond Street in London or Madison Avenue in New York?  Each of these streets is lined with the most high-end stores in the world.  As a New Yorker, it will always be my first stop, and why not.  Madison Avenue offers Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Calvin Klein and Prada all within blocks of each other.  That doesn’t mean I couldn’t be persuaded with the slightest of suggestion to hop a plane and throw caution to the wind in Paris.  Who wouldn’t want to frolic in Paris?  Though I’m pretty sure there isn’t much frolicking allowed in Christian Dior, Lanvin, Hermes, Dolce & Gabbana, or Gucci.  Sure I don’t speak French, even though it’s been on my ‘to do’ list for the longest time.  Do I really need to know the language while shopping?  The language of shopping is universal.  No? (That’s no in a French accent.)