Caroline Charles at London Fashion Week AW12 // A British Nostalgia
What? Caroline Charles
Where? The Caroline Charles studio, Brompton Road
When? Friday 17th February, 10am
Who? Voguettes, Telegraph Fashion Team, the cream of the King’s Road
Sitting in Caroline Charles’ Brompton Road studio, who’d have known that the mayhem of London Fashion Week had already begun? Greeted with a glass of bubbly and listening to the warm refrains of Ella Fitzgerald, we all got cosy in one of those rare salon presentations and were treated to Charles’ take on heritage wear, infused with a British wartime nostalgia.
As one of the original designers to back British Fashion Week over forty years ago, Charles’ is one of biggest proponents of classic British design principles. This season’s designs had a classic, wearable feel, featuring low-key skirt suits and crepe dresses covered with claret coloured velvet jackets. A decidedly feminine collection, this season’s featured all the classic moss and berry autumn tones, but refigured in sumptuous silks, satins and velvets. I also spotted some rather snazzy accessories and jewellery (feathered tiara anyone?) designed by the Bijoux Heart.
Heritage may be a bit of a safe bet when it comes to autumn winter collections but it wasn’t all tweed and tartan. Charles re-spun the Bloomsbury aesthetic with touches of jewel embellishment on sleeves and collars, as well as a healthy dose of leopard print and silver lame in the mix - giving the uber-glam offerings a more youthful edge. All in all, a thoroughly polished start to the season indeed.
Check out the rest of Style & Then Some’s LFW coverage here.
Photos taken with Olympus PEN E-PM1 – for more information see here
