UK: A coat collar made of mice and the Olympics are the inspiration for Gareth Pugh and Julien MacDonald fashion shows at London Fashion Week

The so-called "bad boy" of British fashion Gareth Pugh took inspiration from the a gothic Pied Piper while the 2012 Olympic games brought a fresh approach to Julien MacDonald's show. There's a reason why 26-year-old Gareth Pugh is the so-called "bad boy" of British fashion, according to the global fashion press. His latest collection was shown on Sunday (September 16) and began with a bang, literally. The young talent known for his theatrical shows started the show by bursting a red balloon after which a model with a cubed head emerged on the catwalk. The head and bias cut dress with leggings were all covered with glitter with his signature gothic black. Pugh's designs incorporated a large use of leather, tassels and straps with a cyber feel. It was only two years ago that the avant-garde designer from the northern English city of Sunderland was living in a squat, an unused carpet warehouse in south London. Since he began to show his collections, his dramatic shows have been a hot ticket during London Fashion Week. American Vogue editor Anna Wintour requested a front row seat after the hype surrounding his first runway collection. On Sunday she returned to see another performance. When asked what he thought of having the most powerful person in fashion attending the unveiling of his collection, the designer said he was flattered but added: "I just do what I do, I don't try to please anybody anyone necessarily and I think that's kind of why people like what I do because I don't try to please anybody but myself." Designer Julien MacDonald's show was a regular mix of celebrities and high-society with names like actress Tara Reid, rapper Shaggy, actress Joan Collins and Dame Shirley Bassey attending the collection's unveiling. MacDonald, 36, has a penchant for glamourous gowns but took a more sporty approach to next spring, inspired by the 2012 Olympics. The Welsh designer's show was full of spandex and racing stripes. He even added cycling shorts to a few short skirts to accentuate the effect. Although known for his evening wear, he showed only three dresses but used his trademark glitter and shine to the designs. His palette mixed from solid block colours of black, white and red-orange to a bit of aqua blue and a hint of yellow. "Diamonds Are Forever", a hit of the Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey - who attended the event - was remixed by producer and rapper Kanye West for the show. MacDonald said everyone was obsessed with youth and it was important to put the effort in to looking good. "It's a healthy attitude to life which is positive. A positive attitude babe, you want to look good, you got to work hard. And if you want to be rich, you got to be a bitch," he said. London Fashion Week runs until Thursday (September 20).

ITN Source | September 20, 2007

Tags:. .forever. .requested. .myself. .necessarily. .cycling