Luella Bartley recently presented her Spring 2010 Ready to Wear Collection at London Fashion Week. Her new collection goes dressier and less cheeky than we’ve come to expect from Bartley. It would be easy to imagine the late Jackie Kennedy wearing these pieces in 1965. Silhouettes were very feminine, with princess seams, pinched waists, and padded hips. She also showed several summer weight car coats in very ladylike “trapeze” shapes in happy, gorgeous colors like a not-too-baby blue, and a wonderful lipstick-y red.

Other pieces included puffy dresses with velvet polka dots, sweetheart necklines, and Peter Pan collars. Bartley’s recent collections have been far more “precious” with an abundance of frilly touches like dainty flower prints, ribbons, and tulle. By comparison, the latest collection is much more dressed up, despite the sugar pinks and lemon yellows. Even the one or two dresses with tulle trim appeared more sophisticated than one might expect from a designer who does things unapologetically girly.