Small but perfectly gorgeous

Pinning down London Fashion Week is a tricky business. Constantly shifting, constantly reinventing itself, the new names on the catwalk each season are what keeps it vibrant, but also, to some extent, can be its downfall too.

Think of New York and the names Calvin Klein, Donna Karan and Marc Jacobs pop into your head; think of Milan and it's Gucci, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada; mention Paris and the logos of Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton will swim before your eyes.

These big names act as an anchor; new names come and go - - in fact, the designers behind these big brands come and go - - but there is a certain tidy framework to the other fashion capitals that seems to make perfect sense.

Think "London" and who knows what you will come up with. Without the likes of John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Matthew Williamson and Stella McCartney, London Fashion Week is a much more messy affair altogether. Last year there were 50 designers showing, this week only 39.

Yet out of the chaos come some beautiful clothes and inspiring ideas that compare favourably with the best of the international shows.

The "old guard" - - designers with healthy sales figures who produce clothes with wearable appeal - showed strong collections in the face of all the upstart competition.

Betty Jackson sent out ladylike tweeds, luxurious sheepskins and ruffled dresses in countryside shades of grass green and earth brown, Jasper Conran ran up strict tailoring with an equestrian feel, Clements Ribeiro had fun with circus prints and clothes that looked as if they had come straight from the dressing-up box, and Eley Kishimoto splashed charming foliage prints on to sweet, simple pieces inspired by hunting clothes.

As for the new names, Giles Deacon made an impressive debut with a little help from a host of supermodel chums and Fashion East showcased three promising nearly-new names - -Richard Nicoll, Alistair Carr and Ebru Ecron - - who will no doubt stage their own shows next season.

But the best of the week came from the new wave of designers with more than a couple of seasons under their belts. House of Jazz and Emma Cook presented small-but-perfectly-formed collections that polished up their own signature styles, Boudicca pulled off a strong show with darkly luxurious clothes in a mix of high-tech fabrics, Jonathan Saunders proved he is a maestro with print and patchwork, and Sophia Kokosalaki topped the lot with a sophisticated collection of glossy, desirable pieces with that all-important edge.

And as for Julien Macdonald, the king of glitz and glamour is in a category all his own. Who else could stage a deliciously vulgar catwalk spectacular, mixing lamé, leather and blue-dyed fox, packed to the rafters with paparazzi fodder - Martine McCutcheon, Jay Kay, Rachel Stevens, some Corrs sisters and a Westlife. His show is not always a favourite with the cool-hungry front row, but it is one that will be missed if he does up sticks to show in Milan next season.