Show us the colours

London Fashion Week's display of autumn-winter collections for 2008 kicked off with a typical eclectic mix of influences and inspirations.Vivienne Westwood's return to the catwalks after a nine-year absence on Thursday evening was billed as the highlight of the event.

Westwood, who first came to public prominence in the 1970s with her bondage-inspired and safety-pin-laden creations for the Sex Pistols, said her autumn-winter Red Label collection owed much to the punk era.

Microskirts and minidresses were worn with knee-high leather boots, while animal spiral cuts gave the clothes a wild look.

"The look is rock 'n' roll and although inspired by the 1970s is definitely about now. It's about modern girls going out and painting the town red," read the notes accompanying the show.

Irish designer Paul Costelloe opened the biannual event with a show big on touch, cut, texture and history, with a nod to the world of opera and what he called the "bold, voluminous style" of the 1940s and 1960s. He described it as "a modern take on ladylike dressing".

Collections were a flamboyant affair this year, with a designer as well known for his affinity to black as John Rocha, who opened the second day of the fashion week, having succumbed to luminous orange and bright pink.

The Hong Kong-born Irish stylist's collection explored "a new tailored silhouette to portray a modern and slightly quirky femininity".

His resulting effort included dresses and skirts, often above the knee, and sometimes padded or with textured overlays which helped the designer create dresses with a bell or lantern-like effect around the waist.

The collection included outfits in tomato red, candy pink, purple and gold, with cashmere and wool sitting comfortably alongside silk.

Also on Monday were quilted outfits, along with some examples of overlapping fur that played with differing volumes, with combinations of a bolero put together with tight-fitting tops and bouffant skirts.

Jasper Conran sent models sashaying down the catwalk in sculpted dresses set off with bright emerald, Clementine and pink carnation tights.

Cashmere and silk frocks with framed necklines, defined waists and rounded hips were the focus of Conran's show. Accessories were kept to a minimum, with short leather gloves and flat ballerinas.

Another doyen of the London fashion scene, Paul Smith showed his latest collection also on Monday. The palette progressed from sober black to a mix of black and beige, climaxing with vivid orange and green. Bright tights also featured at Smith's ever popular show, although this time they were painted in brushstrokes of contrasting colours.

Hotpants featuring England's King Henry VIII showed on Tuesday that veteran fashion designer Betty Jackson can still startle as much as any of the new names in London design.

Jackson, who has been showing at London Fashion Week for 25 years, proved she was not to be outdone in flamboyance or idiosyncrasy by acclaimed new designers such as Marios Schwab and Christopher Kane.

Jackson's catwalk was strewn with brightly patterned rugs, in contrast to the minimalist decor of other shows, and colours were vibrant and clashing.

A ribbed mustard polo neck was worn under a satin black dress, while transparent orange and pink sleeves sprouted from the shoulders of blue, knitted cardigans.

Sequins were everywhere, hand-sewn onto tights, headbands, shoes and bodices, and adorning models'cheekbones.

Twenty-five-year-old Krystof Strozyna was also bold in his choice of colours for his first show at London Fashion Week.

The Polish-born newcomer sent models down the runway in fluorescent pink dresses, raspberry high heels and oversized jewellery. Stiff cottons were used to create structured frocks and jackets with over-sized collars and wide sleeves.

His show ran back-to-back with that of label MeadhamKirchhoff, designed by fellow New Gen winners and Central St Martins graduates Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff. The two collections could not have been more different, as MeadhamKirchoff drew on a sober palette and few accessories.

"The key colours of the collection ? shades of black, grey, navy, flesh and mauve reinforce the statement of quiet and understated elegance rather than crass sensationalism," the notes accompanying the show read.

The Milan Fashion Week starts today, followed closely by Paris on Tuesday.