Report by David Hayes

Ten years is a long time, but in fashion? It’s an eternity. So you couldn’t blame designer Antonio Berardi for feeling a little nervous about showing back in London after a decade away on the catwalks of Milan and Paris. “I’ve been terrified,” joked Berardi backstage. “But everyone here has been so supportive. It has been amazing.”
Beer money (from sponsor Peroni) and the BFC brought Berardi back and he needn’t have worried one bit.His homecoming catwalk outing in Mayfair’s St Mark’s Church last night showed him at his very best. Sexy, sheer-but-structured dresses under drapey silk kimono jackets, architectural seamed shifts, razor- sharp tailoring, black lace worked into delicate pleats, lashings of sparkly crystals, handkerchief-point layers and hot colour all added up to his own modern take on couture.
“The devil is in the detail with Antonio,” explained Creative Director and close friend Sophia Neophitou, who has been back working with the designer for the past six seasons. “The collection was inspired by a trip to Venice; the deep blues and oranges, the lace. The slightly abandoned feel of the church suited it perfectly.”
“We didn’t do anything different for London,” said Berardi. “We just do what we do.”
And you really have to admit, whatever he and his team do, they do it rather beautifully.

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