British Fashion Awards 2010

Last week, the nominees were announced for the 2010 British Fashion Awards. The categories which interested me the most were 'Emerging Talent-Ready to Wear'; and the 'Designer of the Year' Award. Emerging Talent is interesting precisely because it opens our eyes to fresh new aesthetic ideas, shapes and colours; and Designer of the Year is important as undoubtedly the winner has created stand-out designs which will be stored in our memories as having had a significant effect on fashion history.

This year the nominees for 'Emerging Talent' are Mary Katrantzou, Meadham Kirchoff and Michael van der Ham. It's likely that few but fashion insiders will be familiar with these designers but that is one of the greatest things about the British Fashion Awards: supporting home-grown talent and bringing it to people's attention. My money is on Meadham Kirchoff: their Autumn/Winter 2010 was a melange of different textures and fabrics and was inspired by 'gypsies, junkies and blue roses'. It made me feel nostalgic for the days when I used to spend hours rifling through the stalls at Spitalfields market and putting together random concoctions to wear. It is also very London (should I say British?) in its emphasis on the eclectic and the insouciantly thrown together.

The nominees for 'Designer of the Year' are Christopher Kane, Erdem and Pheobe Philo for Celine. It has to be Erdem; he has undeniably had the Midas touch this year and no one can forget his digital floral print cocktail dresses that encapsualte summer 2010.

The winners are set to be announced in December.....watch this space.

(Pictured above: Spring/Summer '10 cocktail dress by Erdem and images from Meadham Kirchofff Autumn/Winter 2010)