We think these were probably the best dressed people at London Fashion Week

I say probably, because we didn’t clap eyes on, like, everybody at the whole of Fashion Week. But our stringent street style sampling method around Somerset House i.e. Helen and I both had to agree their outfit was, to use a Will.i.amism, dope) sure did snare some killer looks. Let’s meet our winners.

Elizabeth, who works for Elle magazine, was wearing a vintage Versace top and using one of those velvet rucksacks covered in little mirrors that you get on holiday in Thailand as a clutch. If you ask me, this is how the 90′s revival should be done. This season at LFW she loved Marques Almeida’s collection at Fashion East and she was looking forward to the Linda Farrow party on Saturday night.

Barbara, who works for the Daily Fail, er, I mean Mail, was wearing a Unique kilt, Kurt Geiger bag and Christian Louboutin shoes. She gets extra points for a perfect pedicure noir. This season she loved the Todd Lynn show and she was most excited about John Rocha.

Camellia, a freelance fashion editor and blogger at www.choufouchouf.tumblr.com, had the most adorable French accent. She was wearing a Stefanel dress, Chloe cadigan (pink and red is basically my favourite colour combination FYI) and Urban Outfitters boots. She was taking pictures around Somerset House and looking forward to the Pringle and Paul Smith shows the most.

Gabriella or @Gabsguthrie works in social media. She was wearing a H&M top, Mulberry bag and Mawi jewellery (a brand you see a lot of around LFW). I like that shade of chartreuse – it’s not quite neon but it sure is shocking. Gabs also loved the Todd Lynn show.

Zoey Goto is a journalist. She was wearing a H&M jumpsuit and a vintage bag. Her favourite show of the week so far was Holly Fulton and she was most looking forward to Vivienne Westwood, Buberry and Mulberry. Lucky girl to have tickets to all those.

Alex, an architecture student, was wearing a Zara dress, Topshop shoes and a Mulberry bag. She was just hanging around Somerset House waiting to meet a pal. See, it isn’t always the bloggers and celebs who are the most stylish.

Samantha, a blogger, was wearing a customised jumpsuit by Birmingham designer Cherelle Reid, so there’s not much chance she’s gonna clash outfits with someone else at LFW. Samantha loved the PPQ and Felder Felder shows and she was excited about going over to Vauxhall Fashion Scout to check out some new designers. We were too, so we went to the VFS Ones to Watch show.

Photos: Helen Coakley and Faraz Pourreza-Jorshari www.boomson.com

Com-pleat-ly in love… with pleats

It’s often the way with fashion that us plebs can’t afford to buy into the trends that we like straight away, and so eye up what we want for a season or so. Pleated waist skirts were big last year, and I lusted after the emerald green shade in Whistles, hoping it would go in the sale. After finally getting my own electric blue version from Pret A Portobello for Christmas, I was very glad to see that pleats – and maxi skirts – have carried through into the new season, with the Art Deco draping featuring in the Givenchy Spring/Summer ’12 collection and pleats playing their part in the Chanel couture show. When money is tight, trends with longevity are just what we need.

The maxi skirt is a way of life. It immediately makes you feel like you’re wearing something from the dressing up box (in the most fun sense, not in an embarrassing way), as if you’re from any era except your own. It makes you feel feminine, queenly even – although tripping up the escalator in the London Underground is not particularly conducive to lady-like thoughts, it must be said. Once you start, maxis can become addictive. (And I’ve always thought it was a total lie that only tall girls can wear them. Short girls look wonderful in long skirts too.)

This particular style is a revival of a late 1930s/early 1940s model, brought back in the 1970s for the Annie Hall, bluestocking type girls. Katharine Hepburn wore a skirt like this in the film, The Philadelphia Story in 1940. There’s something very can-do, a kind of elegant feminism about the style, and I think this is a large part of its enduring popularity. I’ve now got my sights set on this lovely pleated dress from ASOS. This is definitely a new obsession.