LFW’s Brightest Young Things

A somewhat hungover crowd gathered today in Tate Britain's glorious stone hall at the rather early Saturday call time of 9.30 am, but with good reason. We were there to watch the first fully fledged catwalk shows of three young stars: Richard Malone, Caitlin Price and A.v. Robertson. All received critical and commercial acclaim last season winning the unofficial award of most-grammed presentations, but how would their vision translate to such a grand setting? For autumn/winter 16, Lulu Kennedy's hot young things proved they're worth the hype as London's most influential fashion-eyes took their seats alongside an unexpected Mr Marc Jacobs on the front row. First up was Richard Malone, in his second Fashion East outing. The opening look –a heavy, knitted pinafore dress that swept the ground – set the tone. Swimming-pool blues and sunshine yellows were the colours of choice laid out in Brighton-beach deck chair stripes. It was a rather summery affair all in all, but the technical yarns and layering made the collection a feasible winter offering, and hey, this is fashion, practicality rarely comes into it. We were particularly taken by the gentle ruffles at the back of garments, offering a cheeky peek of flesh; the turquoise zebra prints (inspired by Malone's godmother's outfit choice for his Holy Communion), and the modern, woolly fisherman's overalls. Malone, a recipient of the LVMH Grand Prix scholarship, whose collections have already been stocked at Browns, sent a very elegant and refined edit down the runway. No doubt his snowy white booties will be on every fashion editor's fair feet imminently.

Next, East London's favourite designer Caitlin price, whose made a name for herself with super-luxe tracksuit-inspired club-wear, that's so deeply enmeshed in nostalgia for London's early noughties garage scene. As the first model stepped out to "Burial", with a Sugababe Mutya Buena facial piercing in place, a bare midriff and her tracksuit barely staying on, we saw Caitlin take what she does best to the next level. This was Caitlin's third season at London Fashion Week, but her first actual catwalk show. Flashes of coloured silk and white fur adorned her sportswear and models carried soft-looking white and pink mini-bucket bags. Supersized heart-shaped padlock necklaces that looked like cartoonish versions of the Tiffany's ones we so pined for in sixth form, decorated the girl's necks. Stylist Anna Trevelyan was busy on the front row Snapchatting Caitlin's bubble-gum pink cropped jacket and skirt (a kind of cheeky take on the office suit that became the uniform of working women in the late '90s). Despite the obligatory Nike running shoes, it was in fact the nods to a more tailored silhouette that marked Caitlin's evolution. The wonderfully cut black, silk trousers with sashes of silk that fluttered away from the hip, and floor-dusting skirts stole the show. Caitlin's final look – a tongue-in-cheek take on the finale bridal look that marked '90's catwalks – came in the form of a cropped white puffer jacket and a billowing ball-gown skirt. The image will no doubt have flooded your Instagram feed this morning. Though she's still a raver at heart, Caitlin's girl was moving up in the world.

The last collection, and the reason Marc Jacobs was in attendance, came courtesy of Amie Robertson AKA, A.v. Robertson, a protégé of Jacobs'. Amie sent a gloriously glamorous girl out this morning with the help of top models Edie Campbell, Lineisy Montero, Molly Bair and Georgia May Jagger. The message? Sit up and pay attention. Inspired by extraterrestrial existence, Amie's green knits, striped tailoring and purple satin blouses were covered in a light dusting of 'alien spores' (clusters of winking crystals.) Despite the glam, blazers hung off model's shoulders, and blouses gaped at the seams, presenting a kind of undone magic. Her luxe purple satin boots will be on a few wish lists this season. All three young stars rose the bar today, and all three deserve to wake up with terrible hangovers tomorrow. Marc Jacobs nodded his approval.