Trying to establish yourself and your label post glittering MA Central St Martins show during London Fashion Week isn't an easy task and not everyone can be handed the Donatella Versace fairy wand a la Christopher Kane.  I don't know how Louise Markey managed to combine so many different colours, use such luxurious fabrics and add a lot of voluminous 18th century-mantua hippage and still managed to make dresses that I'd happily wear during the day, perhaps with some jazz shoes and thick opaque tights/leggings, but I guess my tastes are quite particular and having a mainline collection based on dresses that aren't going to be everyone's tastes isn't the best business strategy...

Still... behold the pretty raw silks and fantastic colour combos...

So alongside Louise Markey's Principal collection consisting of the dresses above, Markey has developed a seasonal capsule Basics Collection whereby each season, a wardrobe staple would be reworked and looked at by Markey.  For AW08-9, she's taken the white shirt (speaking of which, clearer pics of the new CFDA Gap line would clear a things up, non?) and done six white shirts...

From wide-hipped, brightly coloured, silk dresses to a simple, pared down white shirt might seem polarising but this exploration of two different fashion consumer needs is a smart one, me thinks.  Next season's basic?  The shift dress, starting from the very basic to the more abstract....

Of course being a lover of odd colour combos and voluminous hips, I'll also be looking forward to what Markey does in her Principal Collection.

Boxy // Distorted   

Fitted

Long

Trapeze // Wide