Irish designer Paul Costelloe unveiled his autumn/winter 2007 collection yesterday, opening London Fashion Week on a low-key note, writes Deirdre McQuillanin London
The sharp and simple collection evoked the Twiggy-like silhouettes of the l960s, but was more grown-up in spirit.
It was the first event in a week that will see some 50 catwalk shows on the official schedule. New names dominate the events, showing alongside established designers such as Paul Smith, Betty Jackson, John Rocha and Jasper Conran, and highlighting London's international status as a hothouse of emerging talent.
The majority of these fashion fledglings were trained in the UK but hail from countries such as Australia, Canada, Latvia, Germany, Greece and Japan, with 15 receiving sponsorship from Topshop.
Despite the strong presence of young designers at London Fashion Week, the reality is that most of them usually have to go abroad to succeed commercially, following the well-trodden path of Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Matthew Williamson and others.
However, this season the trend is reversed, with one of the most successful and influential designers in the world, New Yorker Marc Jacobs, closing London Fashion Week. His show will mark the opening of his first UK store in Mayfair and is a coup for London over the fashion capitals of Paris, New York and Milan.
London continues to be Paul Costelloe's base and his collection of some 30 pieces was smaller and more focused than usual.
"It's the youngest collection I have ever done," the 62-year-old designer said. "It's modern and unfussy and I wanted it to say, hey, the Costelloe label is aware of what is happening in the world of fashion."
His collection was inspired by Paris, where he studied. It included a sophisticated mix of fitted wool coats, slim tunic dresses and prim suits, all with a couture look and finish. Hemlines were just above the knee, jackets were cropped and A-line dresses in flecked checks or grey and cream print had a slimming effect on legs.
There wasn't a trouser in sight. Keeping everything tight and controlled, Costelloe has gone back to doing what he does best: mixing textures and patterns with painterly ease and assurance. A coat the colour of turf with a leopard-print neckline, gold shoes and a thin gold belt exemplified his typical mix of earthiness and glamour. It was his best show in ages.