Harvey Nichols Spring fashion show…Can I have it all please?

Last Saturday saw Harvey Nichols, Birmingham, hold a host of fabulous fashion shows to celebrate the new season. The shows, being held in a fashion theatre on the ground floor of the Mailbox, celebrated all that is new to Harvey Nicks, a mixture of casual daytime and evening glamour. Designers from Malene Birger,Philip Armstrong, McQueen, DKNY and Markus Lupfer were all represented in the show, as was an array of totally gorgeous Louboutins.

Scene 1 – Americana

The show started with the boys. This was a true summer look, full of cut-off jeans and t-shirts, at least one of which, you wouldn’t wear in front of your grandmother! (See Penthouse below!) This collection was full of cool t-shirts from labels like ‘Death by Zero’ and ‘No tomorrow’ and had a real holiday mood. Deck shoes completed the look..with no socks in sight.

Scene 2 – Trailer Trash

This was a pretty, bright collection…with a frayed, laddered rock and roll edge. Gorgeous floral playsuits from Alice and Olivia were teamed with very distressed tights. I loved the Rolling Stonish vest top from Markus Lupfer that was teamed with amazing Ugg sheepskin cuffboots. There were also pastel jeans that were anything but girlie.

Scene 3 – Olympia

With the Olympics not that far away, Harvey Nichols turned its attention to more sportier themes. Tracksuit bottoms from D&G and True Religion were teamed with sports themed t-shirts, including a showstopper from Vivienne Westwood that had a medal emblazoned on the front – gold of course.

Scene 4 – Sloane Rangers

This was all about cool, casual daytime looks that are perfect for the English Spring. From yellow Burberry rain jackets to a Michael Kors trench jacket, there were plenty of chic cover ups for the drab English rain. There were also ice-cream colours that were perfect for upcoming festival season, and a touch of land girl in the form of Burberry’s safari style khaki dress.

Scene 5 – Sun bleached sands

This was a collection of preppy, wearable separates that made a great Summer casual look. There were some surprising, stand out elements, like the Diesel shirt with sequined detail that was, quite frankly, wasted on a man’s wardrobe. The omnipresent McQueen scarves looked as good as ever.

Scene 6 -Whiter shade of Pale

The perfect cool, crisp colour was showcased in a series of memorable looks. From Acne’s shirt dress that gave the impression of slipping on a lovers white shirt, to the Pinko trench that was teamed up with an Americana vintage scarf for a Grace Kelly in Monte Carlo feel, this was a collection that was cool and collected. A particular favourite was the Second Day tunic that was the absolute perfect holiday piece.

Scene 7 -Summertime blues

This was all about the seaside! Deck shoes with turned up jeans, floaty scarves and t-shirts made this your Summer holiday checklist. There were also an abundance of thin knits from the likes of D&G, a trend that seems to be recognising that English Summer’s are not all like the Summer of 76, when you could apparently fry eggs on a pavement!

Scene 8 -La Vie en Rose

Every shade of pink was represented in this collection,which included a Paul Smith shorts suit and the prettiest raspberry floaty dress from DKNY, that had the audience swooning at its light as a feather loveliness. The Finders Keepers dress was also beautiful, with back detail that resembled a cape.

Scene 9 – Futuristic

This was a mixed bag, that although entitled futuristic, had definite nods to the past. From a McQ blazer that drew on Teddy Boy culture of the 1950s, to the McQ graffiti jeans that were almost a tribute to Stephen Sprouse’s 1980s designs, this was full of wild styling for the extrovert.

Scene 10 – Girls go Glam

And so the best was left until last. This was a stunning range of evening and party looks that took in a whole host of exquisite looks, from ‘The Artist’ inspired flapper dress from Sass and Bide, to 1930s Malene Birger bias cut evening dress in Vanilla and black. Philip Armstrong was strongly represented in his structured mini dresses, but my favourite dress was the tight roses decorated shift style dress from Philip Armstrong that had a black bow. This was similar to a Valentino evening dress worn by Anne Hathaway to the Oscars a few years ago. So feminine and romantic.