The last few seasons has been amongst the best for London Fashion Week. Stella McCartney held an intimate presention back in February and McQ and Moschino also held show's during the week's festivities and it looks like Rag & Bone are following suit.

Last week the duo behind the brand, David Neville and Marcus Wainwright, confirmed that they will present their S/S13 collection to a select group of press and buyers at their new Sloane street store after showing the collection in New York. 'We are thrilled to finally open a store in London,' Neville said a statement. 'It's exciting to present a collection for the first time in our home town and for it take place in our own store feels really special. Showing during LFW will furthe strengthen our presence in Europe and, of course, it's lovel to be able to filter it directly to the customers in the UK who have supported Rag & Bone since the beginning.'

As temperatures continue to plummet we all get confronted with the age old dilemma: how do you keep warm without compromising on your sartorial choices. Luckily for us this is an issue that Rag & Bone designers David Neville and Marcus Wainwright tackled head on yesterday.

The collection was full of all of the pieces that you want to be wearing now in the minus five degree winter weather. The collection was full of striped belted duffle coats, leather neck pieces styled over warm printed sweater dresses and velvet tops layered underneath coats in suede and leather. Fur and feathered vests were styled with asymmetric skirts that came over trousers and styled with chunky boots and blankets came wrapped around the body and belted to show off of the waist.

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At their Fall 2011 show, Rag & Bone designers Marcus Wainright and David Neville made it clear that their happy showing in the New York Fashion Week. "The energy is simply amazing in New York; anything is possible," he told Hilary Alexander. But don't worry, the pair haven't forgotten their British roots. This season the design team really paid homage to their British roots showing a collection of reworked quintessentially British classic. A blazer and jacket came in blue and white red stripes reminiscent of a typical British boarding school and tartan occured throughout on skirts and biker jackets.

Over the last two days we've seen a lot of layering but Rag & Bone are definitely in the lead in the layering stakes. Neckwarmers camed styled over blazers, trousers and jeans came skin tight and printed teamed with a range of boots from feminine ankle boots to winter hiking styles. Just to make sure we all keep warm in the winter months, the duo also sent out thick winter coats like a multicoloured autumnal style with a longer hemline at the back and a big grey style with brown leather panels down the front and fur sleeves.

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Patrik Ervell

It looks like the CFDA Awards have something in common with prom-queen battles from most '90s films: There's a whole lot of campaigning to determine who gets the title. By the time the Council of Fashion Designers of America hands out its awards in early June each year, many camps have already worked overtime to get enough votes for a win, according to WWD. The 2010 nominees were announced earlier this month, and already, several designers have already stepped up their presence in the fashion circuit.

As WWD points out, some designers plan appearances at extra events, re-submit lookbooks and occasionally have their PRs email contacts to ask for votes directly. Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts apparently submitted 100 or more "For Your Consideration" emails supporting Christopher Bailey's win for the CFDA International Award.

That said, some newer designers don't see the point of campaigning. Patrik Ervell and Joseph Altuzarra can't wrap their minds around it, and Marcus Wainwright of Rag & Bone describes the concept as "more of a turn off than a turn on." We're guessing we won't be seeing him on the campaign trail anytime soon.

Designers are known for drawing inspiration from one and other from time to time, but once in awhile a label can go too far, with the end result resembling an almost exact copy of another designer's creation. That's Danner Footwear's current source of contention. The brand, established in 1932, has been producing combat-style boots since then.

Rag & Bone, whose designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville established the brand in 2002 with the aim of 'making clothes that they and their friends would love to wear everyday,' have seemed to have found their niche with clothes and accessories until now. The label has been accused of copying Danner Footwear's combat boot and are now facing a copyright infringement lawsuit as a result. The boots, which share a striking resemblance to those of Danner's, had previously been sold in stores and online at Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York, but have since been removed following the mention of the lawsuit.

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Thom Browne; Marcus Wainwright and David Neville of rag & bone

Thom Browne, best known for his shrunken suits, is expanding his brand with two lower-priced lines. Perhaps that's more economical, since his normal slim-cut trousers retail for about $2,000. Changes really are in the wind for Browne, who has sold a minority stake in his company and hired Josh Sparks to replace his former CEO, who left in May without much notice.

Expect prices to be 30 to 40 percent cheaper than Browne's normal rates with the new lines, informally called "classics" and "red/white/blue". (Real line names haven't been released.) Browne tells WWD his lower-priced clothes "will still be for that Thom Browne guy, but now that guy will have things to wear every day for every occasion".

On a similar note, rag & bone's Marcus Wainwright and David Neville are branching out. They've opened a new store - their biggest - in New York's Mercer Street, and insiders reveal the line drew in $20 million wholesale for women's wear, compared to an expected $10 million, for the past year. A new rag & bone/JEAN line and rag & bone/SHIRT line will launch for spring, with prices set at $70 to $80.

"It's more of a collaboration, really," said Jessica Stam, the model who's been helping with a few Rag & Bone pieces for the Spring '10 runway. Designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville stayed fairly quiet about the teamwork at a party celebrating the line's Intermix launch this week, leaving even Lauren Santo Domingo disappointed.

"We've been designing some clothes together," said Neville.

OK. We'll drop it.

I'm feeling a bit grouchy from a late Friday night followed by an unexpectedly early start to Saturday morning. And to the jilted woman who kept shrieking, "Jamie, open the door! Jamie....open it! Open the door, Jamie!" on the pavement outside my building for 20 minutes, I hope you have many miserable Valentine's Days.

I find my mood improving upon review of the Rag & Bone show in New York, which marks yet another successful season for the two Kentucky boys with no formal training. It’s hard to believe that Marcus Wainwright and David Neville learned what they did about denim – and then menswear and women’s wear – by making friends with pattern cutters and seamstresses. Two points for immersion therapy!


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