gfw '09

A run through of some of my favourites from Graduate Fashion Week 2009; starting with Bristol UWE (biased I know!)

Lauren Champion - Her elegant draped fabrics in muted and sumptuous colours were offset beautifully by contrasting detail.

Hannah Mayhew - Her use of florals is exquisite and lends itself well to the ruffled folds of her clothes.

Kimberly Naylor - Colours are fantastic and I love the energy and dynamism of the clothes.

And the best of the rest...

A very promising menswear collection (Kingston University)

Philippa Jenkins - Great oversized accessories and use of colour, it's exciting to see menswear and men's accessories (which are becoming more and more popular with the rise of the 'man-bag' and 'meggings'*) thought about so in-depth.

*I am part of the camp in favour of these daring creations, it's like taking skinny jeans to the next level. This obviously depends on who is wearing them - this is NOT a trend any man other than a dangerously thin man can pull off. I don't think that many fall into this catagory so for those of you who are shocked and appalled at the thought of men in leggings, you may be spared.

Tribal awareness (Middlesex University)

Iwona Pilch - Beautiful designs with a deeper meaning; inspired by the ritual scarring that tribes perform and the practises of cults. Beads were pushed into soft fabrics to create a bubbled look which was taken throughout her whole collection in the form of edging and embellishment.

Luxury Knitwear (Kingston University)

Akosua Afriyie-Kumi - These bold colourful knits commanded the catwalk, also loving the structural shoulders and the knitted helmets - obviously essential for the colder weather!!?!

Decadent Sportswear + Underwear (University of Westminster)

Anna Rose Underwood - The contrasts of structural underwear and comfortable and baggy rompersuit style clothing come together to create a relaxed yet seductive look in this collection. The designs are also inspired by sportswear.

Well done to everyone who showed their collections, must be a nerve-racking thing to be involved in and the culmination of a lot of hard work.