Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger are taking their parental responsibilities seriously this week. Monday afternoon Jerry Hall sat front-row to see her daughter Scarlett Elizabeth take to the catwalk at Matthew Williamson's show, and later that evening her father took over chaperoning duties and kept a watchful eye on her from the gallery of the Great Room at the Grosvenor Hotel while she modelled a Union Jack leather jacket and hat in Julien MacDonald's fashion extravaganza.
There is little doubt that the offspring of celebrities make good headlines for fashion designers. Last week 16-year-old Elizabeth modelled for Betsey Johnson in New York, while Rod Stewart's 20-year-old daughter Kimberley chose to wear a Stars and Stripes sweater for Catherine Malandrino. Here in London, Elizabeth and her friend Leah, daughter of fellow Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, have set the flashbulbs popping.
Celebrity is part and parcel of Julien MacDonald's show, for he is the creator of those getyou-noticed dresses that film and pop stars love to wear to premieres and awards. So it was not surprising to find Kylie Minogue and Cerys Williams of Catatonia, some of his most photographed customers, sitting in prime position for his latest collection.
MacDonald was plucked from the Royal College of Art in 1996 by Karl Lagerfeld to design shimmering, fairytale cobweb knits for Chanel, and that experience proved a starting point for his autumn collection.
Black zippered blousons and dresses and flashing gilt trimmed belts and leather caps were redolent of 80s Chanel. It was nice to see him doing a little bit of tailoring after all the slinky translucent gowns that usually make the front pages. The constructed look worked well in the slick black denim trouser suits encrusted with bright, sweetie-colour gems. This was rock star stuff. I don't think we will wait long to see the crystal-fringed dress causing a stir at a premiere.
Ghost, created by Tanya Sarne and now designed under her guidance by ex-John Galliano assistant Amy Roberts, was a complete contrast. While MacDonald's dresses scream "party", Ghost's whisper "romance".
Ghost returned to the London catwalk after a brief sojourn on the New York schedule, bringing back its trademark vintage looks. Bias-cut dresses embroidered with butterflies or trailing ivy leaves and petal appliques echoed the gentle whimsy of those tattered antique fabrics shown elsewhere on the London catwalk this week. Their finely stitched corset detailing on a jacket reflected another strong trend, but Ghost did it in denim and cottons and slipped it over big tulle ballet skirts. According to Roberts, the collection was mostly inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice and provided a sweet lyrical contrast to the glitzy rock chick glamour that is a key theme this season.