“This season sees the Jaeger London woman landing on the isle of Mustique,” the show notes told us as we scrambled to our seats, in from the sudden deluge that we could still hear hammering on the roof of the Somerset House tent. We wished we could join her.
In fact, for all its promises of creating a wardrobe for “the playground of British rock stars and royalty”, this was a far more feminine collection than we’ve become used to from Jaeger London, and it was all the better for it.
“I thought it was very pretty, a lovely colour palette – I loved the scalloping and the lighter touch,” said Vogue’s fashion director, Lucinda Chambers, after the show. “It was a much more girly take on what Jaeger normally does.”
Roomy tunic dresses of enlarged broderie anglaise and black cocktail choices that encased the models in the lightest of lace called to mind early Seventies romance, while nursery school dresses with softly pleated hemlines had a sweet innocence and wide legged culottes with buttons on each hip bone had a sportier appeal.
Dotted cotton dresses of navy and white were gorgeously fresh and light tweed short suits of green and white let the Jaeger girl have some fun next summer, while one nude silk top held together down each arm with black bows is sure to be a bestseller.
Jaeger’s place on the London Fashion Week catwalk is not so much about directional London style as it is about proof of the relevance of British heritage brands and today’s show was just that.
With thanks to Mercedes Benz.
SEE THE JAEGER LONDON SHOW ARCHIVE