Elliot Atkinson, Go Tell Them, LD.DA and Yelena Smirnova have some celebrating to do: They've just been named as finalists for this year's Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden project.

The budding designers will all show capsule collections at September's London Fashion Week, when a judging panel led by Donatella Versace will select one label to receive more than £100,000 of funding and an on-schedule show at the next fashion week in February 2010.

Eun Jeong won the last Fashion Fringe competition, and she's considered a designer to watch in the London scene. But the runners-up don't have much to cry about. William Tempest lost out in last year's finals, and Emma Watson was in the front row of his next show.

I feel like I'm stalking Hilary Alexander. And Colin McDowell. And the lady with all the crazy hats (you know the one if you've ever been to LFW), who today opted to revive everyone's favourite 50s toy trend, the Slinky, on her skull. Note to self: ask Hilary her opinion of Hat Lady.

At Eun Jeong (the fourth show of the day with HA), we somehow moved from a black bra and sheer black knickers to Giambatista Valli-style glam. The latter bit proved why some of the biggest establish designers are already publicly supporting Jeong.


For the most voluminous of voluminous dresses, Jeong circled her models with what looked like hastily pleasted (and basted-on) miles of fabric. In actuality, I can see why it took months: each black or coral or tan-coloured dress body blew perfectly back from the models' legs. Note to self #2: must get v. flowy dress for autumn.

Other well executed details included bejewelled hoods, black silk rosettes and draping to die for. But I'm still stuck on the dresses.