October 24, 2003

Jane Wardell / Associated Press Writer

LONDON -- The sun returned to London Fashion Week on Tuesday, and Scottish fashion house Pringle took full advantage of the blue skies to show its range of knitwear on an open air catwalk.

A day after a surprise downpour flooded the main exhibition marquee, the British capital turned the charm back on for the 4,000 buyers, journalists and photographers following the fashion circus around the capital.

Pringle showed its lineage as one of Britain's oldest fashion firms with its clean-cut blue blazers, flippy netball skirts and white wide-legged trousers. But the 186-year-old knitwear specialist also added several twists, taking its traditional diamond print check from its sweaters and placing it on gossamer thin dresses instead. The classic print also made an appearance in fluoro pinks and yellows.

Elizabeth Jagger wears an outfit by Pringle during their show at London Fashion Week.

The company earlier this year named model and socialite Sophie Dahl as its new "face" and the star of Tuesday's catwalk show in Holland Park, southeast London, was Elizabeth Jagger, daughter of Rolling Stone Mick Jagger.

Back at the main event marquee in the upmarket borough of Chelsea, it was the turn of young Danish-born designer Jens Laugesen to display his creative efforts.

The designer said he was inspired by 1980s photographs of skinheads in London for his gritty, urban collection of slim-line trousers and bomber jackets. Cutoff T-shirt sleeves and hems were fastened on to other garments with baby elastic fastenings, and trouser braces became decorative, hanging from the waistband or hem of a shirt.

Laugesen was among nine up-and-coming designers to receive financial support in a scholarship scheme to stage their catwalk shows at London Fashion Week.

The "New Gen" awards, sponsored by fashion chain TopShop, are hotly sought after by young designers, and Laugesen said he was using the opportunity to define a clearer image for his label.

Among others showing on Tuesday was Hong Kong-born John Rocha, a man so inspired by Irish linen as a student that he visited the country and stayed.

Rocha's show picked up on a prevailing 1950s theme. His knee-length full skirts featured threads of silk hanging from the hems to create an artfully unfinished look.

The designer also used meticulous handwork to embellish his dresses with hand-painted floral motifs and leaves and feathers constructed from overlapping layers of organza, chiffon and leather. One dress featured Waterford crystals sewn into intricate raw silk paneling.

More than 50 catwalk shows have been crammed into a five-day schedule for London Fashion Week, a show case for Britain's $18 billion textiles and design industry.

The event is known for encouraging quirky designers and different ways of displaying the collections, but some attempts to veer from the traditional catwalk shows have not been entirely successful. Preen's decision to show its futuristic collection in a disused warehouse near Kings Cross tube station almost worked - until Monday's sudden rainstorm drenched guests who had been left standing outside more than an hour after the scheduled start time.

Laugesen's attempt to provide some art with a brief video presentation of a model spinning round on a turntable prompted more than a few yawns as it went on for a tad too long.

Among collections still be shown are Julien MacDonald, Maria Grachvogel and Jasper Conran.

(Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved.)