The Clothes Whisperer: the fashion blog with wit that sparkles: LCF BA GRADUATION SHOW

While the rest of England's undergraduates scramble to put the finishing touches (or begin) their theses, tediously revising day and night, the 28 soon-to-be graduates of the London College of Fashion's BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Technology course were last night lacing up their models' spray painted Doc Martins and holding their breath as the culmination of all their hard work stepped on to the runway of the final leg of their degree.

An impressive panel of examiners (that is, a front row of the who's who of London fashion) descended upon Covent Gardens Flower Cellars (home of Fashion Fringe) to support the students, including William Tempest, Daisy De Villenevuve, Erin O'Connor, Jade Parfitt and Jasmine Guinness. And the students, their creativity (or at least aspirations to ostentatiousness) somewhat tempered by current climates, economic and social, did not, for the most part disappoint.

Erin O'Connor

The zeitgeist running through the class was clear, and I must be getting old because I actually remember it. That zeitgeist, my friends, is that of the early nineties in all its brash yet minimalistic, deconstructed piecemeal glory--Gen Y is so over the 80s. There was lightweight fringed denim aplenty, enough beige to make Burberry blush, angular androgynous deconstructions with the occasional bright coloured rabbit fur/demin concoction which took me straight back to 1994...brace yourselves, Contempo Casual is poised for a comeback!

On Ying Lai

Perhaps my ego is still scarred from the memory of many middle school outfits gone awry, but the collections which most tickled my fancy where those didn't trigger a Limited Too flashback. The breezy and adorable Morrocan-inspired white cum colourful cloth jewellery collection of Anna Hobbs which could have walked straight off the runway and into Anthropologies everywhere probably being my personal favorite. If I could pack all of it into a suitcase to take on my upcoming holiday right now, I would. I also enjoyed the thick origami folded wool camel creations of Natsumi Zama and the half-coat/half-Oxford shirt/not-sure-how/where-you'd-wear-it deconstructed androgynous looks of Yun Jeong Yang.

Anna Hobbs

Natsumi Zama

Yun Jeong Yang

But when it came time to dole out awards, the silk square cut out collection of Alicija Aputyte took the prize for Textiles and military inspired looks of Alex Rosenwald that for Design Technology--All Saints better snap him up quick before he stages a military coup and uses his final look (an enormous billowing parachute trained dress) to make a timely exit. But the valedictorian, as announced by model Jade Parfitt, was Hoi Lam Wong, whose Nicole Farhi flavoured floral/sequined collection had, I thought only one look which really merited the grade A, a peach pair of sequined harem trousers paired with matching peach oversized leather jacket.

Jade Parfitt announces the winner

Hoi Lam Wong with her collection

Yun takes her catwalk curtsy

All in all, the future looks bright for these 28 graduates, and with Graduate Fashion Week coming up neext week, there we will soon have plenty more young talent to gorge ourselves on. But to the LCF class of 2009, I say Stephen Jones' off, congratulations!

The Class of 2009

Joanne Jones