The credit crunch is on, and LondonNet has two goals: to come up with a less annoying term for it, and to help you plan your spring purchases to get the most for your money. Here are ten of our favourite styles, straight from some of the best London Fashion Week designers.


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1. Sheer
Let some skin show. In the form of loose, see-through black sleeves and leggings at Nicole Farhi or thick, sheer dress straps at John Rocha, clothes that reveal a glimpse of your summer tan looked great on the runway.

2. Ruffles
The more, the better. Emma Cook places delicate black details at the bottom of white tent dresses, while Afshin Feiz thinks the best dress should bring to mind a toughened-up cupcake.

3. Sequins
Sparkling is stylish. At Ashish, the shine goes on camouflage-print maxi dresses or Balmain-short minis. Armand Basi One adds flash to hot-magenta long-sleeved blouses.

4. Orange
No one’s most flattering colour, but it’s here. The shade is slightly burnt at Ossie Clark, pumpkinesque at Giles and reddish and ruffled for Christopher Kane.

5. Asymmetry
Balance is boring. Aquascutum offers one-shouldered, belted cocktail dresses. Afshin Feiz throws his cut outs off-kilter.

6. Cut Outs
Speaking of cut outs, just be tasteful. If you want your jeans hole-punched, then ask Henry Holland, and Amanda Wakeley slices her white one-piece swimsuits.

7. Jumpsuits
Your one-stop wardrobe solution. Betty Jackson makes hers with fawn-brown butterfly sleeves, while it’s long legs and McQueen-style rainbow prints for Marios Schwab.

8. Eighties
Not everything about the decade was bad. At Julien MacDonald, trousers were high-waisted and pleated and pegged (oh my). Bulk up those shoulders with a bright-yellow suit jacket – complete with hot-pink buttons – from Nathan Jenden.

9. Corsages
Wear your femininity on your dress. Modernist’s florets are the colour of plums, but for Roksanda Ilincic, metallic gold and black is better.

10. Fringing
Fringe is for more than hair. At Emma Cook, scalloped edges are best finished with dangling black threads. Handbags get tapestry-pull attachments from Jasper Conran.

– Jill Hilbrenner