London Fashion Week A/W 2011: Womenswear

Roksanda Ilincic
We found ourselves in a state of blissful relaxation in the midst of the Roksanda Ilincic show. Perhaps it was the muted lighting in Pall Mall's Institute of Directors or the live piano performance of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' - but we like to think it had something to do with the therapeutic, river-like fluidity of the satin draping and textured cuts, which gave everything a mesmerising depth. There was a successful coupling of cashmere sweatshirts and felted wool T-shirts with long satin evening skirts, while dresses were armed with feather embellishments, a leopard print waistband, or 1940s-style shoulder enhancing silhouettes. The real gasp point, however, was when the decadent satin eveningwear gown came out paired with a shocking red fur stole. Then Ilincic's oeuvre finally took full flight.