Burberry Headlines Busy Day At London Fashion Week

GREGORY KATZ

LONDON (AP) — So many beautiful clothes, so little time: London Fashion Week produced its busiest day Monday, with blockbuster shows including Burberry Prorsum, Christopher Kane and McQ by the Alexander McQueen house all jostling for editors' attention.

The fourth day of the weeklong fashion extravaganza saw a futuristic punk aesthetic marry beaded florals at Kane, the hottest young designer showing in the British capital, while Burberry's design chief Christopher Bailey dished up a luxurious collection of English tweed, herringbone and corduroys.

Observers said Kane's autumn and winter show, one of the most eagerly anticipated of the week, highlighted the unorthodox creativity and emphasis on craft that set London's young designers apart from those in other fashion capitals.

"Young British designers these days are reaching ever stronger heights with digital printing," said Hilary Alexander, a veteran British fashion writer. "The emphasis on arts and crafts, the embellishment of fabric — they're not afraid to experiment."

Kane, who is known to pair traditionally feminine details with tough futuristic touches, delivered a memorable collection that featured purple leopard prints, intricately beaded floral separates and sheer purple and red dresses embroidered with oversized velvet flowers. Black leather detailing kept the look modern and edgy: Thick leather piping adorned most garments, and some of the dresses also had black leather shirt collars and sleeves.

One of the standout outfits was fire-engine red from head to toe: A long red fluffy turtleneck, paired with red wide-leg trousers with a black leather trim down the side.

"I liked the colors, the beading — it was so lovely," said television presenter Alexa Chung, who sat in the front row along with model Yasmin Le Bon, American Vogue's Anna Wintour and Samantha Cameron, the wife of British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Over at Burberry, the emphasis was on classic Englishness. There were riding jackets galore, as well as velvet quilting, herringbone wool and tweed caps — and of course incarnations of the brand's most famous garment, the trench coat.