London Fashion Week: Day 3

Seeing as it was Sunday and all, it only seemed appropriate to have a bit of a lie in this morning. Actually, I didn't get to bed until 5am because I'm developing a bit of laptop overload insomnia... and the birds on Baker Street will not stop chirping. Like right now, for example, it's 2am and they are at it. Why? Anyway, took it quite easy today. Went to two shows, showed off some crazy shoes my friend Charlie May made (more on that later), and tried to avoid freezing to death. London is so cold right now and there is an unyielding mist hanging in the air... tragic for any fashionista attempting to have a good hair day or wear stilettos (luckily, I never try to do either).

12:30 - Masha Ma

Last year, Masha's first collection was incredible but this year it only got better. The light milky colour palette teamed with fire engine red boots was such an original combination. A sense of overflowing origami remained present but it was taken to a new level and incorporated into slick leather pieces. Skirts were straight, fitted and midi length... one model was so restrained she had to walk with the most baby of steps. Rather than looking awkward though it resembled the way a geisha might teeter down the street. The entire collection was stunning and there were a whole host of items I left wishing I could pull straight off the model and wear out the door.

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2:15 - Charlie Le Mindu

The line for this show stretched all the way around the building and most of the people waiting, for an hour in the rain, were turned away. If you aren't familiar with Charlie's work it might come as quite a shock. He sent the first model down the runway naked with fake blood dripping down her body. The sound of pigs being slaughtered was blasted through the room to the point that it was physically painful and, while this might all sound a bit disconcerting, personally I thought it was impossible to leave without feeling a sense of serious wonderment. It felt more like a work of art than a catwalk show - a work of art that, understandably so, isn't quite everyone's cup of tea. Charlie has famously dressed Lady Gaga in outfits made entirely of hair. This collection, for me, translated into something that is more transferrable than just that: the incorporation of painfully dark elements coupled with a stark ethereal innocence.

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The Buzz

There were a lot of big shows taking place today (Acne, Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood, Topshop Unique...) that were at locations away from the main British Fashion Council location. This meant people weren't actually hanging around Somerset House and, because sadly I don't have a limo (uhh... or even taxi), to chauffeur me around London all day, there weren't as many people to shoot. That, plus numb fingers that made pressing buttons on cameras difficult, made for slightly slim pickings street style speaking. The tactical layering going on though is pretty impressive. All hoods are pulled up, cardigans doubled on two thick, and thermal underwear is secretly sitting under even the most incredible of outfits. Hot on everyone's lips, apart from the weather, included the question of why Alexa Chung wasn't at Mulberry this morning and whether the BFC could possibly squeeze any more blue rubbish bins into the area surrounding the main tent.

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See you in a few hours for what I wore.