New York Fashion Week: Karen Walker, Preen AW12

This time last year I raved about Preen and Karen Walker's Fall/Winter collections and now I intend to rave some more. Last year, Walker's collection was inspired by Britain's Northern Soul scene and featured great prints, styles and a clever use of vinyl; this time around, she was inspired by Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea where boxy-woollen coats and paisley-print Chelsea boots took precedence.

Reworking her signature tomboyish aesthetic with bold colour-blocking and interesting prints, Walker's mod-influenced collection is bang on the money for Fall/Winter 2012. Cropped slimline trousers and boxy single-breasted jackets are clearly going to be huge for Winter; Walker's tartan and orange versions are especially lovely, don't you think? She used a lot of orange and yellow last year and I really love this season's interpretation, particularly when worn as a colour-flash statement under more subdued pieces.

There's something about Preen's collections that is effortlessly classy and elegant, without being stuffy or outdated. For one thing, the styling is flawless and more importantly, the clothes are always outstanding.

For Fall/Winter 2012, Preen took inspiration from Beatrix Potter alongside notions of the strong, independent modern day woman. The end result was a striking balance of intricate botanical prints and bold, geometric shapes with a contemporary 'girl power' edge. These are the kind of clothes that women in power wear, women who mean business; they're not for your everyday Jane but for someone who know's what they want and how to get it. Although not realistically practical, the suede and lace platform heels will undoubtedly appear on 'must-have' lists everywhere come the end of Summer whilst a million and one geometric-colour block suits pop-up on the high-street. Ground-breaking? No. Desirable? Completely.

Will you be investing in a boxy-woollen coat and cropped geometric trousers or botanical florals at all? I am definitely taken with Walker's collection and can totally see myself buying a single-breasted jacket, they're all over the catwalk's this season and are super versatile.

photos from style.com

New York Fashion Week: Karen Walker AW11

There must be something in the New York waters because for the first time in a long time, I'm really loving the collections. Last season I found it so so hit and miss and only really liked one or two shows but I'm really impressed by the standard for 2011. Karen Walker is someone I've never paid any attention to in the past but this collection, inspired by Britain's own Northern Soul scene in the 70s, is really quite wonderful.

First up, the hats. Most of you will hate the hats and I will understand if that is the case but I think they're great! I really adore the prints Walker has used throughout but this botanical number is particularly lovely; especially with the black vinyl sleeves. I predict that grunge will be massive for AW11 and most of my favourite collections so far have had dark and gothic undertones - great news for avid black wearers!

We've already seen it at Preen and Alexander Wang so teaming a glam (in this instance, pleated) maxi-skirt with a casual knit is definitely going to be massive later this year. There's something really nice about the combination of styles and it's really easy to imitate so don't throw any of your maxi's away, you'll need them again before you know it!

I am super fond of all of these looks and think that the vinyl and wool are a great pairing. This collection stands out for it's simplicity - there's nothing fussy about it and I'm positive that the high-street will be all over this style like a fly to cow-shit. 

I'm going to be super busy with London Fashion Week from tomorrow onwards and will be posting all of my behind the scenes shots from Somerset House, so watch this space! What do you think of Karen Walker's AW11 offering and are you going to be at London Fashion Week too?

photos from style.com