Frosty start to fashion week

Although we are more used of late to seeing Sadie Frost in glossy gossip mags -frolicking on the sun-drenched beaches of the Caribbean with her toyboy lover - the actress turned designer would have us believe she is just a simple gipsy girl at heart.

Frost, and her partner Jemima French's latest catwalk outing, on the first full day of shows at London Fashion Week, happily cited "long journeys through bohemian countries" and "trips to Romania" as their current inspiration.

Packing the front row at the old Saatchi Gallery in St John's Wood with a few close celebrity friends - Kate Moss, Rachel Stevens, Patsy Palmer, Rosemary Ferguson, designers Matthew Williamson and John Rocha and comedian David Walliams to name but a few - Frost and French sent out onto a leafstrewn catwalk a somewhat dowdy collection of vintage inspired dresses, raggy handknits and tweedy tailoring, paired with the occasional flash of their signature lingerie.

Even the models looked a little world-weary with their artfully messed-up, braided hair and greasy smudged make-up. Other designers may do the thrift store look better, but no doubt off the catwalk the second-skin-fit jeans and denim minis, stripy knits, bigbutton bomber jackets and drop-waist floral dresses will find favour with Sadie's Primrose Hill Set.

Let's just hope that she has more glamorous destinations in mind before she sits down to plan her next collection.

Frost French's downbeat outing reflected the current mood at the London shows.

With our most famous names such as Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Stella McCartney now regular fixtures at the more high-profile Paris collections, the reduced number of shows - down to 39 over five days on the official schedule - and diminishing international interest from press and buyers has cast a shadow over proceedings, which come to a close on Wednesday.