It happens every year – fashion weeks come and go in a flash – and we’re left with our heads swirling thinking about all the amazing things we can’t wait to see next season. London Fashion Week came to a close last night, and while the fashionable crowd in London partied it up at Le Baron, we took some time to roundup our favorite looks from the fabulous designers across the pond.

What were your favorite looks from London? Tell us in the comments below!

This season, Christopher Bailey turned out more of what we know and love from Burberry – terrific outerwear with a twist. The collection was grounded in an earthy pallette of khakis, yellows, and browns, and we loved the floral prints. We were particularly taken with the men’s wear, classic cuts with a downtown edge, particularly in the accessories department. Studded gloves? Yes.

Roksanda Illincic has made sure that color-blocking will stick around – at least for Fall 2012. Her collection came in a variety of shades of cranberry, claret, and dahlia, punctuated with bright yellow shoes. Even the fur partook in the color-blocking party, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The lighter looks that closed the collection were particularly striking – we always love a good winter white.

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Mungo Gurney, whose mother is an acquaintance of GPP and the daughter of a British Lord (do you think they got invited to the royal wedding?!), showed his collection for the first time at London Fashion Week. Bold colors and prints were the theme throughout – we love the geometric patterns. The swimwear was super cool, looking more like art than clothing. Perfect for this Indian Summer in SF – especially if you’re attending the awesome rooftop pool part at the Phoenix Hotel next week!

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London Fashion Week has already come to an end – the five-day event flew by. Book ended by Marc Jacobs taking the final slot in New York and Gucci opening in Milan, LFW had a very small to window to strut their stuff (much to the chagrin of some London designers!).

Tribal touches appeared at Burberry in the form of raffia detailing and patterned knits, and at Matthew Williamson on sweaters and printed separates, even taking a neon approach at Sass & Bide. Prints of all sorts will again be everywhere for Spring, from florals to graphics, plaids and stripes (some of my favorites at Peter Pilotto!). There were even sharks swimming across dresses at Issa.

Color was the story at nearly every show, many going for sherbert hues like those seen at Mulberry as well as the electric brights, seen at Roksanda Ilicinic amongothers, that have been popular the last few seasons. Oranges, yellows, and blues were everywhere.

Lace and sheer fabrics were also ubiquitous, appearing at Temperley, Giles Deacon, Julien Macdonald, Jonathan Saunders – and the list goes on. For the most part, hems were ladylike, many hitting just at the knee or all the way to the floor – though the pencil skirts seen at Burberry added some real sex-appeal to the generally demure length.

One designer who kept it young and fresh with shorter hemlines was Christopher Kane, who created separates that put a British spin on the sportswear trend seen at Alexander Wang (among others) in New York. The design of his playsuits was elevated by the attention to detail in cut and form that was apparent throughout the collection. Now its off to Milan for more sartorial splendor!

Burberry Prorsum

Danielle: Burberry shows usually a) bore me or b) confuse me. This season, I am proud to say that there is a piece (or two) that captured my attention. Unfortunately, I had to hunt and dig to find what I loved (I had to scan through the “details” page of Style.com). I nearly screamed when I saw the chunky, enormous loafer wedge! Although this shape has already peaked at the top of its trend cycle, I can’t help but salivate a bit.

Harry: Christopher Bailey named Burberry’s Fall collection after Jean Shrimpton. The ’60s happen to be my personal favorite time for fashion. For many, the name Jean Shrimpton might not ring a bell. However, she’s a very well known model in the ‘60s. Shrimpton and Twiggy were the face of the sixties. The collection was refreshing. There were lots of unexpected bright colors for fall. One of my favorite silhouettes was on Lisanne De Jong. This has to be my most favorite from Bailey for Burberry Prorsum collection to date — and the shoes were amazing: a mix of punk creepers and Mary Janes.

Louise Gray

Danielle:It’s like Danielle meets the circus, don’t you think? You KNOW I’ve had thoughts of purchasing a balloon animal how-to kit just so that I could make my own balloon headpieces.

Harry: “I was trying to think more of a wardrobe of what a woman wants,” said the ice pink haired Louise Gray in an interview backstage at her show. The woman she mentioned must be quite a character. Some might argue that the collection was clowny and costume-like. In reality, not many women are willing to style the clothes the way Gray had them on the runway. However, there were interesting standalone pieces such as the jackets, T shirts, skirts and dresses. One piece that really caught my eyes was the skirt on Tilda Lindstam. Take the structured skirt and pair them with a black T shirt and you’d get a practical look without being clowny.

Mark Fast

Danielle: Last season, Mark Fast showed us unforgettable sexy, crochet mini dresses. For fall, he kept the super-mini hemlines and switched out the fabrications. The tiny sheer dresses matched with lace up, knee high boots, and paired with burgundy leather jackets are starting to drive me crazy — in a good way. Although I’m not sure about some of the first looks in this collection, I am quite certain that once Mark Fast hits the color black, he can’t go wrong.

Harry: I was very pleased to see that Dewi Driegen opened and closed the show — she’s a quarter Indonesian, you know? Anyway, today Mark Fast is known for his body-conscious collection — or whatever you wish to call it. From streetwalkers to rich ladies, he designs (quite literally) for every type of woman. There was definitely thought put into the collection. It had commercial appeal that can reach various markets. I just wish there were more luxury and personality in it.

Christopher Kane

Danielle: Before viewing Christopher Kane’s full collection online, I saw a detail image of one of the plastic/liquid clutches on Tumblr. Immediately in love, I went on a frantic quest to find out if this detail photo was from a new collection or if it was a fantastic archival piece. Turns out that Kane is giving me a blast from the past this season — way back to the fourth grade where notebooks were made of plastic filled with multi-colored liquid. A couple of Kane’s Fall dresses borderline on questionable and bad, but I can’t help but love a plunging V-neck made of liquid and plastic. PS: Loving the heel, too.

Harry: We all love clothes that move, don’t we? Some of the materials from Christopher Kane’s Fall collection were very interesting. They were plastic filled with liquid. The liquid was a mix of vegetable oil and glycerin. The liquid actually bubbled up on the runway — cool and crafty. The collection reminded me of underwater creatures. The highlight of the show for me were the clutches. They remind me of iridescent oysters.

Julien Macdonald

Danielle: Like Christopher Kane’s plastic clutch, I had an emotional reaction when I viewed Macdonald’s gothic inspired Fall collection. I love the full spectrum of this collection — it’s not all black. The finale gowns are in beautiful muted pastels, giving more selection to a wide range of customers. The beauty and styling of this show are truly inspiring. Pin straight hair, ghostly white skin, lace-up Victorian booties, black lace, and cloaks are a combination I feel eager to try — if I haven’t already.

Harry: Julien Macdonald showed a collection inspired by gothic art mixed with rock and roll. For me, gothic art always has a sentimental and romantic side. Julien did not forget that romantic element. His collection contained lace, leather and his powerful knits.  The collection might look very moody, but if you take the dresses and paired them with rosy makeup and a chignon, they could be extravagant gowns. I like the fact that Valerija Kelava opened the show. There is something about her that’s very gothic.

FSD bloggers Harry Go and Danielle Wallis put their two cents in about some of the collections at London Fashion week…

Mary Katrantzou

Harry: I must admit I haven’t been following this designer. Judging from her Spring 2011 collection, I could feel a little bit of Hussein Chalayan and Alexander McQueen here and there. But it’s perfectly fine because fashion always pulls inspiration from somewhere else. Mary Katrantzou was inspired by highly stylized photography from Helmut Newton and Guy Bourdin. I remember visiting the School of Interior Architecture & Design and seeing some projects hanging on the wall, giving you the illusion that you’re seeing into a window little houses. That’s the same feeling I got from the prints on the dresses: serene, whimsical and colorful.

Danielle: Have you ever thought about going out to dinner in Los Angeles with an image of the skyline printed on your mini dress? Then, you should take a look at Mary Katrantzou’s Spring 2011 collection. The designer juxtaposed hard, architecture-inspired lines with soft, flowing layers and mini-trains. I’m shameless when I state how unique and fantastic I think these textiles are. Images of window panes, elegant interior spaces, and flower bouquets seemed to be mixed up and re-assembled onto unique separates and dresses. I would love to wear one of the structured lamp shade – shaped skirts (complete with tassel lining).

Mark Fast

Harry: Mark Fast does body-conscious dresses. Last year he let a plus size model to open his show (who looked a bit uncomfortable in that revealing dress). Mark Fast’s Spring 2011 was a reminiscent of his Spring 2010, but executed more commercially. He also mixed his webby style with something more geometric and current. The fringe wasn’t a new thing for Mark, but it really helped the whole collection feel more current. The show was opened with black dresses, transitioned to some of the most beautiful spring colors, and closed with white dresses. I thought that was a pretty fun color journey.

Danielle: Mark Fast’s refreshing Spring collection has nothing but “spotlight stealer” written all over it. (Just imagine stopping traffic in one of these dresses!) Fast showed his classic knits in variation of mini to maxi, open stitched to sheer coverage, separates to one pieces, and black and white to vivid colors. He took body contouring to the next level, which I think his young customer base will adore. If nothing else, I definitely think we will see traces of his design details in fast fashion stores next spring.

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