Best of London Spring 2011

At the London shows you can always expect a generous helping of ingenuity & energy and many of our favorites did not disappoint for Spring 2011. They made a strong case on the need for new with collections that stand on their own while touching on the season's varied trends from Peter Pan collared school girl dressing to artfully ladylike to clean yet conceptual minimalism. London's promising young talents are growing up and their work is only getting more confident in realization. Here's a look at our favorite shows.

Meadham Kirchoff(and above)

What can we say, we are fond of the 90's, whether it's grunge-era, body-con or minimalism and we love what the boys at Meadham Kirchoff mulled from the decade for Spring 2011. Demonic kewpie dolls on acid mixed with a vivid sense of pop colors and a dark, romantic edge marked it one of the season's most cleverly fun shows to date. Their propositions may look as avant-garde as you can get, but their deceptive genius is in how many ultra-femme pieces you can pull apart from each look. Ruffled skirts, lace inserts, shocking neon brights mixed with muted violets, graphic tunics, bell shaped blouses and Peter Pan collars came together to offer a fresh take on the romantic side of Spring dressing.

Charles Anastase


We love the Charles Anastase girl's louche 70's French nerdiness and Spring's collection gave us a lot to indulge in with it's Peter Pan collared sheer blouses and midi length shirt dresses. It had just the right amount of studied sweetness, prissy Parisian formality and brainy sexiness without being too-cool, making it one of the best collections for girls under 30 this season.

Erdem


You can always expect an appropriate amount of femininity packaged in an Erdem collection mixed into contemporary shapes for a look that's as easy on the eye as it is on the wear. Spring's notes included a bold palette of painterly botanical hues, lace, digital prints, maxi lengths and Peter Pan collars for looks that could look just as good on royalty as they could on a 20-something.

Peter Pilotto


While it hasn't really mastered a recognizable signature, Peter Pilotto is in possession of the ability to keep on churning out modern sportswear unlike anything you've ever seen before without having to sacrifice on taste. Spring's mix of pajama dressing, subdued military, color blocking, sci-fi knits and origami folds made for a collection that was heavy on wearable options.

Richard Nicoll


At his own namesake label and Cerruti, Richard Nicoll continues to prove that he's mastered a minimal approach to clean, graphic sportswear for a confident woman. At his own label, he mixed his signature sheer knits & chiffon separates with patent finished pieces for a look that was strong & perverse yet full of pieces you could easily incorporate into an everyday wardrobe. Midi trumpet skirts, sheer layers, a juxtaposition of ultra-lightweight lengths and a passage of soothing ice-cream colors made it a winning effort.