As you may have gathered, LFW day 2 was fairly full on and I’ve therefore had to split it into two separate posts… So to pick up where we left off, after satisfying my sushi cravings I headed back to Somerset House, planning on hitting the press lounge and actually getting some work done. In between stopping at Starbucks and a spending good half hour generally mincing around I somehow never made it and all of a sudden it was time for my next show, John Rocha. As far as I’m concerned, this show is a LFW must-see and with Virginia Bates, Leah Weller, Susie Bubble and Jameela Jamil on the FROW, I was pretty darned chuffed with my second row seat. There’s always something other worldly about John’s collections and this season was no exception. His trademark texture play was ingenious as always including everything from sheer chiffon and slinky silks to chunky knits, mohair, leather and PVC. The show was a fabulous fusion of haute couture and sportswear, contrasting the fluid and the sculptural to breathtaking effect.

Next up was Todd Lynn, a designer who’s work I’m ashamed to admit I don’t know particularly well but certainly want to know better after seeing it in action yesterday. Sharp suiting, immaculate tailoring and minimal detailing were the name of the game with emphasis on the designer’s masteful manipulation of fabric. Ultra modern and subtly sculpted, the strikingly simplicity of Todd Lynn’s collection certainly set it apart from the crowd.

At some point during London Fashion Week each season it inevitably pours with rain and that’s precisely what happened on the afternoon of day 2. Naturally I didn’t have an umbrella so was forced to make a deeply unstylish jacket-on-head dash to the nearest cab. My next destination was Westminster where Temperley London had invited me backstage (backstage post coming soon) before their show. I didn’t think it was possible for them to top last season’s venue (the British Museum!!!) but somehow, Alice and co managed it. One Great George Street provided a regal setting for the aptly named “Renaissance” show. As expected at Temperley, the FROW was strictly A-List with Jaquetta Wheeler, Jade Parfitt and Poppy Delevigne sitting alongside Peaches Geldof, Anouck Lepere and Jefferson Hack.

If you thought Temperley’s SS12 offerings were delicious then frankly, you ain’t seen nothing yet. The collection was utterly exquisite, unapologetically opulent and nothing less than a treat to behold. From what I’ve seen so far, it looks like gold could be the colour for AW12 and there were plenty of super luxe metallics at Temperley alongside rich autumnal hues, inky blacks and delicate nudes. The overall feeling was somewhat Slavic, with plush velvets, thick brocades and glossy leathers set against glammed-up folk touches and embroidered florals. Fabulous fur hats, sumptuous silks and gobstopper bling oozed high octane glamour, topped off with a blindingly bedazzled finale.

Getting that many buyers, journalists, fashion editors and assorted celebrities in, seated and then out of a venue is a fairly lengthy process. Add to that the fact that, even in fashion week terms, Temperley was a pretty late starter, and I found myself with roughly 10 minutes to get back to Somerset House for the Issa London show. What followed must have been a fairly comic scene; an impractically dressed, high-heeled mob legging it to their waiting cars or, somewhat less glamourously, piling into the London Fashion Week Press Bus. As you can imagine, stress levels were pretty high during that frantic journey back up The Strand but somehow we managed to make it in time and without anyone getting hurt. The Issa London show notes promised a “trans-siberian journey from Moscow to Bejing” and that is precisely what Danielle Helayal delivered. The collection kicked off with power prints and then morphed into slinky, jewel toned dresses and beaded, thirties style numbers before culminating in a sequence of baroque printed, fur trimmed emerald beauties.

Eight shows later, Day 2 was still far from over and after that I had to make a high speed dash home for a quick outfit change before the Temperley aftershow party. Countless cocktails were consumed, a lot of fun was had and (surprise, surprise) I felt none too fresh this morning.

Love Ella. X