Christopher Kane, SS11, London Fashion Week

Among the London Fashion Week shows I was most anticipating was Christopher Kane, which I attended yesterday at a warehouse in East London. The show was running late and guests were ushered in up until just seconds before the show. Luckily, I made in it just in time.

Glasgow-born Christopher Kane has developed a reputation for designing along a certain latitude - one that is known for, among other things, being edgy, a bit rock-and-roll, for his impeccable use of leather, his no-holds-barred photoprints that draw from wildlife and Planet of the Apes... So, despite the punchy, neon color-palette, and the vinyl and waxed fabrics, I was pleasantly surprised and a bit taken a back by the subdued, modest cuts and silhouettes of the Spring Summer 2011 collection.

Even in hot pink, chartreuse, and day-glo orange, the brocades and argyles, paired with longlined hems and modest necklines, were more reminiscent of the lady who lunches than the good girl gone bad.

I loved the stark departure this collection has taken from his past collections, if for no other reason than defying the expectation I had built around his aesthetic. When a designer starts becoming predictable, it's time to change the game - and Kane certainly succeeded in that. The length of the skirts was enough to realign my thinking.

And, just in case you couldn't spot her easily enough in the front row - here's Anna. Yes, she was really that close - I was using a fixed lens! I know it's blurry, let's try not to focus on that, okay?