Boy George walks with his models
© AFP Ben StansallLONDON (AFP) - Boy George, 44, born George Dowd, former member of the Culture Club band, returned to London after two years away, anxious perhaps to forget his troubles with the US law authorities over cocaine found in his New York apartment.
Under his "B-Rude" label Boy George promised a "real show", his longterm associate Mike Nicholls said.
In all 48 designers strutted their autumn-winter 2006-7 collections on London catwalks, among them blue chip creators such as Julien MacDonald, Paul Smith and Betty Jackson.
Black predominated.
"Black continues to be the most elegant colour. But we chose beautiful soft fluid textiles, that soften it. Our dresses are made with love and it shows when they move," opined Sindy Stemp of the house of the late Jean Muir.
Jasper Conran, Preen, Noir, Gharani Strok, Tata Naka were all in a black mood, lit up sometimes with gray or beige.
By contrast designers such as Ashis Gupta and Manish Arora of India had thrown open their paint-boxes, dazzling audiences with the bright and flashing colours of northeast India.
Issa from Brazil and the Anglo-Brazilian pair Basso and Brooke looked to Copacabana and Ipanema in Rio for inspiration; sequinned outfits and clashing shades of green, orange, red, canary yellow and turquoise.
So too with Briton Giles Deacon, elected designer of the year for his spring-summer 2006 collection.
"Winter is full of colours," he said.
"It is not true that it is only grey skies and black clouds, so I don't see why I have to limit myself to use dark colours for my winter collection."
The fashion caravan now moves to Milan where fashion week opens on Sunday and ends at the end of next week.
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