The big names shine on London’s catwalks

Neon colours and geometric forms at Roksanda Ilincic and pastel-coloured lace and cashmere at Burberry Prorsum offered contrasting interpretations of femininity at London Fashion Week yesterday.

Burberry is one of the biggest names here and did not disappoint with a dreamy collection of skirts, blouses, cardigans, and coats in pastel colours and made with soft Scottish cashmere and English lace.

Sienna Miller was in the front row to see elegant jerseys with a minimum of detail, either a small fold at the nape or a bow above a bare back, matched with intricate lace and cut-out white leather pencil skirts.

“We wanted the collection to have this real crafted feeling, something that felt like you were cocooned and protected,” chief creative officer Christopher Bailey said backstage, after emerging from a media scrum sparked by the presence of One Direction’s Harry Styles.

“Very, very feminine, very gentle, very soft, but there was also that sassiness and the sexiness underneath. I like that idea of strength and fragility.”

There was no hiding the sassiness at Roksanda Ilincic, who played with dayglo colours for her spring/summer collection, blocking yellow with orange, beige, and black for a striking look.

The Serbian designer, whose fans include Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama, used neoprene to create oversized tops, matched with calf-skimming skirts, loose trousers, or a combination of both.

“I tried to experiment a little bit more with what is a modern dress — how that dress can be elevated to something different,” said Ilincic.

Racism row

Naomi Campbell, pictured below, has accused fashion designers of snubbing black and Asian models on the catwalk. She said the situation had deteriorated since she made her name in the industry more than 25 years ago.

In an interview on Channel 4 News last night, the 43-year-old denied that she was accusing the industry of racism. “I’m saying the act of not choosing models of colour is racist. So... we’re not calling them racist, we are saying the act is racist.”

Campbell has lent her voice to the Coalition, a group of fashion professionals who issued an open letter to Fashion Week councils in London, New York, Milan, and Paris listing the designers that they said used only one or no black models in last season’s runway shows.

Campbell said that during last year’s New York Fashion Week, just 6% of models were black and 9% Asian.

“When I started modelling, I did Yves Saint Laurent, I did... Versace. There was a great balance of models and colour.”

— Sherna Noah