London Fashion Week: Jonathan Saunders autumn/winter 2012

Fit, flair, colour - and horsey-hair: Jonathan Saunders raises the bar, says Luke Leitch.

Such audible mid-show swoons (this was over a large camellia-print dress with a lilac on black body and white on black arms) are rare amongst seasoned show-goers, but Jonathan Saunders was a multi-swoon collection.

Starting with form-fitting double buttoned coats and jackets over tightly tailored, ankle-zipped trousers in a blur-to-look at half diamond effect, then morphing into fitted above the waist and widely-pleated-and-voluminous below (Saunders called this "fit and flair") dresses under undulating wide belts, the designer seemed at first - despite the zingy metallic colours - to be going through a semi-conservative moment.
Then he unleashed some psychedelic weave-effect knitwear worn with tweedy-print pants and sun visors, florals and sheer pleated satin-ish dresses on mega-heeled, ribboned Louboutins, and some sunglasses-on-bright overcoats with a texturised pattern finish in electric blue and blood red - that conservative nano-moment had passed.

Posted in: Autumn-Winter,Jonathan Saunders,London Fashion Week