1. Most popular colour at the collections? It's a tie between lilac and fuschia pink, both of which have put in an appearance at almost every show. Hot new name Matthew Williamson, who gave an intimate presentation (1,000 invitees crammed into one very small room) of just 11 outfits clearly loves the two colours - especially when they are combined with orange or turquoise. His little slip dresses in silk crepe and georgette were a big hit. It helped, of course, that they were being worn by the likes of Jade Jagger and Kate Moss. The audience of fashion press and buyers, meanwhile, remains resolutely loyal to its customary black.
2. Shortest skirts in a collection: Itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny slivers of fabric were having to make do pretty much everywhere this season. Some of the most minimal could be glimpsed (seen, after all, is too forceful a word for so slight an item) at John Rocha's show. He offered bottom-skimming skirts in putty- coloured leather with matching jackets, as well as minis in double-layer black chiffon. Overall, Rocha appeared anxious to cover as little of the female form as possible, since his collection also included lots of satin devore and spider- web crochet, the surface often either hand-painted or sewn with opalescent beads. Start praying for warm weather next summer.
3. Weirdest Example of Ruching: Call it drawstring, shirring or ruching, the effect is still the same and almost universal among London designers. Favourite spot for a drawstring was the neckline of a blouse but Pearce Fionda regularly featured it on short-sleeved shirts and dresses - the effect was to make the models look as though they were wearing a pair of ruched curtains on their shoulders. There were definitely better things in this show, such as frock coats and flared pants in black and gold silk jacquard with an oriental palm frond motif and hooded black jersey bias-cut evening dresses, their sleeves slashed from armpit to elbow.
4. Most Entertaining Show of the Season (so far): Katharine Hamnett didn't stage a catwalk presentation this time. Instead, she invited everyone to a former debtor's prison south of the Thames where a 10-minute film was shown under the vaults. Since most guests had managed to consume a couple of glasses of champagne on empty stomachs, not a lot of attention was paid to the clothes being shown in the film - the plot of which could be summarised as Thelma and Louise discover a trunkful of frocks in the Californian desert. Look, it was the end of a long day, everyone was tired and escaping from the venue afterwards took almost as long as must have been the case for 18th century debtors.
5. Most unusual location for a show: British designers will do anything (and go anywhere) for a bit of publicity. So Owen Gaster invited his audience to a snooker hall behind King's Cross railway station. Everyone sat on red velvet banquettes suffused with decades of cigarette smoke and a few brave souls even ventured into the bar in search of a glass of mineral water. Bemused locals observed the fashion packs's collective thrill at venturing out into unknown territory. The clothes were pretty familiar though; more of the usual fine English tailoring techniques used on quirky fabrics (fuschia pink lurex) and with intermittent odd details - skirts slashed at the sides to show their lining beneath.
6. Favourite piece of music at the shows: Last season, almost every collection included Sacre Bleu's A Very Stylish Girl. This time, straight in at number one goes Janet Jackson's Got Til It's Gone, a sampler on which Joni Mitchell's voice is occasionally heard.
7. Most obvious ethnic borrowing of the season: Design duo Copperwheat Blundell decided to play cowboys and indians in their show with tan suede chaps and horizontal-stripe stretch dresses in shades of rust and navy. Forest green knee-length skirts with matching fringed bikini tops were another feature of this collection, as well as belted trouser suits, the jackets of which owed more than a little to judo outfits, giving the impression that an oriental version of the wild west was being proposed.
8. Show with the most stars in the audience: Amanda Wakeley presented her Spring/Summer collection in the fashionable L'Avenue bar and restaurant on St James's Street. Squeezed onto their front row seats and sipping snipes of Moet & Chandon through straws were many of London's favourite It girls such as Tamara Beckwith, Nicola Formby and Candice Bourret, along with gossip column regulars Henry Dent-Brocklehurst and Marie Helvin and actors Honor Blackman and Nickolas Grace.
9. Show with the most stars on the catwalk: The design team at Workers for Freedom must have stars in their eyes, because this motif was all over the clothes in their collection. Either scattered as tiny mirror disks, or appliqued as large star-shaped flowers, it was inescapable in a range as pretty and inviting as ever. Especially attractive were Nehru-collared sleeveless tunics in soft grey or ivory, put with matching loose pants and high-collared shirts worn under frock coat trouser suits. Best pieces of all in this collection; a series of heavy silk asymetric-hemmed skirts and jackets which ended in a trail of appliqued shooting stars.
10. Best-received collection of the season: Maddeningly disorganised and infuriatingly late starting, nonetheless Clements Ribeiro's spring/summer collectoin was well worth the wait. Surprisingly hard-edged, it included a succession of square-necked backless mini dresses sometimes teamed with silver-blue sequin shirts and knee-length coats. There were khaki green linen-mix baggy hipster pants in the same shade, silk frock coats and sequin shirts. Clements Ribeiro's new take on the company's signature horizontal striped cashmere sweaters came in tones of dove grey, white, pale blue and chocolate, sometimes sewn over with bands of sequins. Eveningwear here featured velvet lace in taupe and ox blood and fringed crochet dresses in eau-de-nil and lilac.
