Report by Julia Robson

Photography by Marcus Dawes

It’s amazing what you can find off-catwalk, lurking in the labyrinths of Somerset House during London Fashion Week. A bra by Yes Master, fashioned out of black feathers and inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe poem The Raven, for instance. Or the jewellery collection by Mawi [above], inspired by dynamite.

So will it be flats or heels next summer? Beatrix Ong has all the options covered. “Really high, really flat and ‘flared’ are doing equally well,” the designer told me, “along with the concealed platform.”

Shoe designer Sonya Parenti [see top right], who worked for Prada, Burberry and Dolce & Gabbana before launching her first range here this season, agrees. “You just can’t work the mid-heel with leggings, and they still seem to be strong for next summer.”

Her insider tip? Hand-studded, cage-effect flats with signature, shocking-pink soles. Linda Farrow can usually be relied on to come up with the definitive sunglass shape. “It’s between Matthew Williamson’s supersized, graduated-lens Aviators, Jeremy Scott’s Flintstones-inspired TV screens, KTZ Blade Runner-esque and Gaga frames,” Danielle Xerxes-Searle advises.

White has been a big trend on the runways. Off-runway, too. Erickson Beamon’s statement necklaces made from Lucite – a type of Perspex – encrusted with Swarovski crystals, have been strong sellers.

Over at 180 – the industrial space that feels as if Tokyo’s crucially trendy Harajuku shopping district has crash-landed on The Strand – the profusion of desirable items and fashion-forward trends is intoxicating.

My favourite has to be Alex Monroe’s stand, The Gardener, inspired by his allotment in Dulwich. Here, you can see tiny gold watering cans, pea pods and seed labels, displayed deftly on a bed of moss and accessorised by snails, that appear to have been made by/for elves.

Equally eye-catching was the Liberty of London stand, home to a display of shift dresses, scarves and even leather clutch bags, all printed with paintings by Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones. All very rock’n’roll.

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