Last night, designer Jasmine Di Milo opted for an intimate presentation at Somerset House's swanky Portico Rooms, shunning the dramatic catwalk show. While a catwalk show involves a lot of glamour, and celebrity hoo-ha, which is pretty fun, it is difficult to get a really good look at the clothes as the models swish by.
In the small salon at the Portico Rooms, the hook and eye details on trousers and dresses, leather fringing on jackets and loose, liquid movement of chiffon on long, creamy gowns was clear to see.
Di Milo's Spring/Summer 2010 collection managed to be beautifully feminine and delicate, whilst being sexy, fun and modern at the same time. Long, Oscar worthy gowns were given the Kate Moss treatment, with shrunken, rock-chick leather jackets, while loose layered, printed chiffon was toughened up with rigidly structured, vintage-style corsets placed over the top. The corset also appeared alongside a leather skirt, creating a sexy, edgy image.
A full-length, sheer sequin kaftan, paired with a cropped leather jacket screamed rock-goddess on her holidays, while a glitter and fan embellished bikini was pure on-the-beach glamour.
One of my favourite pieces saw Di Milo expressing her sense of humour, in the form of a t-shirt with gold, nipple-tweaking fingers printed right over the boobs.
Where dresses were not whimsical, they were cute shifts, in both light summery colours, as well as brights and more sultry dark colours.
Di Milo also showed skill, and nodded to the recurring architechtural theme that has lingered on catwalks for a couple of seasons, with exagerrated hips on silk dresses.
Overall, the collection felt well pulled together, and to present a glamourous, and subtly sexy femininity.