Rise of the British Empire (or: London FW ss10)

I'm pretty much an Anglophile, I even lived there a one point, so it's no surprise that I love so many UK designers. But my love for the Brits aside, there are some really exciting things coming out of London these days and I would argue that in the past decade or so (fashion-wise) it has gained the competitive edge needed to be in the same league as, say, a New York, Milan or Paris.  Here are a few of my favorites...

Burberry returned home to the runways of London (rather than Milan) for the 25th anniversary of London Fashion Week which was a fairly big to-do clothing aside. But I really loved the collection - I'm such a fan this draped tulle business! Obviously Burberry wouldn't Burberry without their beloved trench coat but I thought Christopher Bailey did a beautiful job reinventing that iconic piece this time around.

Christopher Kane...I can honestly say (vintage clothing aside) I have rarely seen anything interesting done with gingham but he managed to make it work here with out making the models look like they were sporting table cloths or off to a picnic.

Luella...in a word, cute. In another couple of words, totally wearable (for me anyway). I love bows, I love dresses, I love adorable yet sexy footwear. sign me up! **update***nylon has posted some cool shots of the show here.

*honorable mentions* check out these (slightly) lesser known designers of London FW:

Duro Olowu (fabulously loud prints)
Mark Fast (form-fitted cobweb knit dresses - a la suzie bubble)
Loise Gray (more prints and deconstructed dresses)

*all runway shots from: style.com