Ashley Isham AW11 collection at London Fashion Week

Taking Christina G Rossetti’s poem ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ for inspiration, ‘The Enchanted Forest’ is a darker continuation of Isham’s earlier floral theme ‘East of Eden’ in SS11 collection.

 Here the models represent fairies in lush tones of magenta, emerald, deep sapphire, crimson, coral and granite whilst the Queen of Fairy looks dark and mysterious in granite voile and silver sequins.

The headgear ranged from the simple floral arrangement you’d expect fairies to wear,

 to those with more of a touch of the orient – proving fairies are well travelled.

And of course the Fairy queen’s headdress was bigger and better than the rest – like a bridal veil on a windswept day catching flowers as they flew by

Opening the show are the fairies, sorry models, in striking bold floral patterns on a background of forest green and turquoise blue velvet.

Lengths are short with a variety of necklines from the high to the strapless.

Loving the strapless green with matching separate sleeves -So good for those women who hate their arms but long to wear sexy strappy dresses.

Then came the elegant long draped jersey dresses in plain deep sapphire

and crimson,

followed by green and yellow pattern chiffons which brought a light airy freshness before going back to deep block colours,

this time the turn of emerald.

By the end of the collection the colours were darker with the granite and silver shining like different strengths of moonlight

on metallic bark textured browns,

silver birch jacquards

and scale-like sequins,

whilst black beaded and woollen lace appliqués entwined around the dresses

and jackets representing creepers.