London Fashion Week: Osman AW10

A thoroughly damp and dreary Monday morning acted as the backdrop to the AW10 Osman show held at Somerset House earlier this week. Despite the rain, hordes turned out to see the young designer's collection, resulting in some badly organised seating queues and less-than-elegant shoving.

Organisation aside, the show got off to an excellent (albeit unusual) start with four models parading down the catwalk simultaneously. Draped navy jersey dresses - hinting at Diane von Furstenburg - clung in all the right places and made a powerful statement. Covetable indeed. The problem lay in fact that, aside from some statement hot pink folder bags carried under the arm and some chic grey Sermoneta gloves, these first four dresses were by far the high point of the entire collection.

A few dashing fur cocoon coats charmed the audience, alongside a few full-length jersey creations in a variety of patterns however for the most part things hit a bum note. Vivid pink and blue in bold 80s prints conjured up images of Saved by The Bell - which, dear readers, isn't always a good thing. Some questionable shapes in the form of wide leg pants and Arabian inspired shirts were on show which made this writer question the whereabouts of a solid theme for the collection. Structured pink dresses with wide bell hems (harking back to the structure of Osman's previous seasons) were accompanied by what can only be described as Amish-style wide brimmed hats. The result was slightly confused, a point which can let down even the best designers - fashion editors love a clear theme (it makes for a nice headline). No doubt the draped and ruched dresses will be clear winners as easy pieces for winter chic but I don't predict any of the later looks making waves in commercial fashion circles. Next time Osman, stick to what you do best and a true star may be born.