Flamboyant start to Graduate Fashion Week

It wasn't just the clothes that were cool at the launch of Graduate Fashion Week.

The tent in Battersea Park that houses the event is normally sweltering, but this year air conditioning enabled the audience to concentrate on the designs in comfort.

Last night 23 students showed their collections. Ming Gao sent out a male model in cream canvas trousers that transformed into a dress.

Briony Schofield's women's tailoring included a bottle green coat with canary yellow opaque tights; a black slim-fitting cropped suit jacket with smoking pants; a fluorescent yellow full-skirted dress and culottes.

All very Jil Sander-inspired. Linzi Reed started with a large cream cowl-neck jumper dress, but moved on to reworked staples from a professional man's wardrobe including shirts in subtle checks and stripes - all worn with tan brogues and cream socks.

The cream, grey, navy and tan palette worked well.

Sara Nowell put her textile designs on showgirls wearing huge feather headpieces and nipple tassels while carrying whips. A surefire way to get the audience's attention.

Graduate Fashion Week finishes in a gala night on Wednesday. Students from 18 colleges will compete for £20,000 prize money and Victoria Beckham will have a say in the selection.