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.

Louise Goldin’s Spring 2010 Ready to Wear Collection looked rather like the set of a science fiction movie. Though it was a knitwear collection, it included short, flaring skirts, leather insets, and pointy cone bustiers. The collection has been compared to the late Gianni Versace’s mid 1990s looks with a dash of Jean Paul Gaultier’s collection for Madonna’s 1990 world tour. The collection featured pastel green, yellow, violet, blue, and lavender, done in baby doll shapes complete with leather bloomers. Her fabrics are self-made, right down to the lacy edging on dresses and the tulle included as inserts in some of the pieces.

Goldin is also the designer of a new capsule collection for Scottish cashmere purveyor Ballantyne, with a 40 piece collection including skirts and tops. Goldin won the Swarovski Emerging Talent Award in 2008 and has achieved fame for her knitwear, making her a perfect choice to join forces with Ballantyne.

Image credit: wwd.com

Image credit: wwd.com

New York - September 15: (L to R) Actress Jessica Alba and Narciso Rodriguez backstage at the Narciso Rodriguez Spring 2010 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Bryant Park on September 15, 2009 in New York, New York.

Why do women love Narciso Rodriguez? Mostly because his designs are elegant, never fussy, and sexy without being va-va-voom. Rodriguez’ designs always allow the woman to wear them, rather than the other way around. For Spring 2010, Rodriguez showed a catwalk full of silk and linen, mostly simple in shape, but many with hems longer in back, shorter in front - a sort of mini train that is not intended to touch the ground, but flutter seductively. In this collection, Rodriguez left the complexity in subtle touches like the back of a dress pieced together and stitched in geometric shapes.

Narciso Rodriguez’ front row included Jessica Alba, Emmy Rossum, and Tori Burch, who soaked up the sexy atmosphere that included frankly sexy jumpsuits, simple shift dresses, and the occasional bubble dress. Rodriguez is no longer in a partnership with Liz Claiborne, Inc., and it appeared that he took the opportunity to revel in his freedom with his Spring 2010 collection.

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Diane von Furstenberg is a goddess. Her Spring 2010 collection reflects the best of slightly bohemian 70s looks combined effortlessly, it seems, with beautiful ethnic patterns without losing one ounce of class. The models wore softly draped dresses and blouses, and evening looks that one could never call outrageous or out of place. The theme of mining history for the best in effortless style was perfectly captured in this very feminine collection done up in rich, substantial, yet not over-saturated prints. These were balanced by solid color pieces in vivid reds, greens, and yellows.

Diane von Furstenberg’s stature among designers, stars, and fashion royalty was clearly evident in her all-star front row: Andr?ɬ© Leon Talley, Tina Brown, Fran Lebowitz, Graydon Carter, Terry Richardson and Carine Roitfeld. It is no wonder, really. Diane von Furstenberg’s dresses and separates are always pefectly wearable, whether you’re jetting off to Marrakesh or making your way uptown to work, perhaps wearing one of her fabulous structured jackets.

Image Credit: wwd.com

Image Credit: wwd.com

Marcus Wainwright and David Neville have been described as “an English hip, young Ralph Lauren” by no less an authority than Vogue’s Anna Wintour. Their Spring 2010 collection for their label, Rag & Bone, was shown last Friday to an audience full of appreciative fans.

Structured jackets took pride of place in Friday’s show, and they were shown in all lengths and styles, from military influenced to frock coats. The color palette of the collection was decidedly muted, with creams, olives, and chambray-like blues. Other than the jackets, the pieces included a heavy dose of skinny jeans and leggings with the occasional summer-weight long johns and work shirt worn as a (very short) dress. A flesh-toned silk jumpsuit was one of the biggest hits of the show, as was a navy dress topped with a light blue field coat.

The design duo admitted that their own experiences are what inspired the looks in this line. They attended boarding school together in England, and the military leanings there inspired the military look to many of the jackets in the Spring 2010 collection.

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