A long way from the crushed velvet and jewel colours of Autumn/Winter 11-12, the new collection is a breezy mix of sheer silk-chiffon and heavier tweed and shimmering brocade in a fresh palette of azure, coral, turquoise, magenta, lavender, navy and lashings of white.

A key influence for Van der Ham was the photographer Joseph Szabo, not in relation to the style or fabric, but the kind of girl he was designing for.  A teacher, photographer and author, Szabo is known for capturing the beauty and emerging sexuality of teenage girls (back in the 70s, of course).

Michael Van der Ham’s signature patchwork and collaging of vintage and luxurious fabrics with varying weights and textures is developed further.  Many of the dresses feature layering and draping of contrasting fabric, like a sash, and silk skirts have the home-made look of a long silk scarf wrapped around the body and sewn up as a dress (a nod to grunge and Szabos young girls).

The A-line shift dresses and body-skimming draped skirts will be a godsend for Michael Van der Ham devotees who found Autumn/Winter’s crushed velvet pieces unforgiving.

The focus on separates continues with vibrant printed silk shirts in slim-cut trousers in cotton sateen and tailored tweed jackets.  It’s a pristine, intelligent look with clean lines – feminine yet with a boyish cut.

The new prints including abstract brush strokes, confetti and feather prints are used lightly and seem to snake around the body in a very subtle way.  The sheer t-shirts worn over long printed dresses

The dresses usually steal the show, but the shoes and accessories are so insanely gorgeous, they deserve a mention.  I adored the two-tone felt and glittery tweed bags with a Chanel-esque woven fabric and metal chain strap.

I immediately zoomed in on the exquisite printed fabric t-bar heels and with good reason too – they were the work of Christian Louboutin!  The shoes come in six variations of Michael’s collage prints and are sure to be major sellers.

Matthew Stone created a very cool 90s-inspired show soundtrack and Luke Hersheson gave the models girly grunge-luxe hair that was lightly tousled and centre-parted.  The sparkling blue and lavender eye make-up and creamy, lucid skin by M.A.C gave the models a youthful radiance that was central to the look.

Michael Van der Ham’s SS12 collection could be his most commercially successful yet, as the collection is so diverse and democratic.  Whether it’s fine tailoring, a multi-fabricated statement dress or a daytime print dress, Michael Van der Ham is the one to invest in for the next season.

For more info, visit: www.michaelvanderham.com

Mulberry always throws the best parties in town and they’ve really pulled out the stops for VFNO.  Mulberry promises an evening of manicures, cocktails, fortune-telling, face-painting and prizes.  They are even feeding flagging shoppers with some good old British nosh – Toad in the Hole and pies all round!

Upstairs at Rupert Sanderson becomes a whirlwind of 70s glamour with a pop up roller disco!  Rupert has also designed an exclusive disco platform boot to launch on the evening with 10% of the proceeds going to Kids Company.  What’s not to love?

Tie in your shopping with a bit of culture at SHOWstudio Shop for the opening night of ‘The Cafe’, an exhibition centred around coffee culture and cafe society in fine art, fashion and film.  See the works of Piers Atkinson, Steven Meisel, Terence Koh and Nick Knight and sip espresso in an actual coffee shop.

Liberty will turn into a Hawaiian luau to celebrate the launch of Lulu Kennedy’s Lulu+Co collection in the HonoLULU Lounge.  Fashion East alumni Richard Nicoll, Jonathan Saunders, Simone Rocha and Michael Van der Ham will be on hand to chat about their collections.  There will also be a DJ set by Richard Sloan, a Mahiki rum shack, drinks in coconuts, complimentary mini make-overs by new beauty hall brand Hourglass and a scarf styling and snapping session in the scarf hall.

Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED is hosting the finale of Unsigned Model Search, an open casting to find the new faces of the Spring/Summer 12 campaign, which will be photographed by Helena Christensen.

Harvey Nichols is hosting a typically fabulous evening with complimentary cocktails, fairground stalls and make-overs.  Disneyrollergirl has enlisted a group of her fave fashion creatives to design/print/customise a one-off t-shirt that will be on show during the evening and then auctioned on ebay with all proceeds going to Kids Company.  As if that wasn’t enough, you can even get your VFNO tees customised by the likes of Peter Pilotto, Markus Lupfer, Jonathan Saunders, Louise Gray and more…

H&M could have the edge on the high street stores with complimentary WAH Nails manicures, photobooth and scarf giveaway with spends of £20 or over.

Other store events and promotions include free manicures at The Organic Pharmacy / 25% discount at Aqua / Hakkasan canapes and cocktails at Diane von Furstenberg / Sophy Robson Chanel denim manicures / Yoo Moo frozen yoghurt sundaes at Jaeger / orange ice cream at Folli Follie / a British Tea Party at Boodles.

Find more info and plan your night at http://fashions-night-out.vogue.co.uk

Liberty’s early support of Michael Van Der Ham continues with a selection of his knitted lurex dresses in autumnal shades and draped Grecian velvet dresses.

For the first time, Liberty is stocking pieces from Lulu & Co, including this stunning Louise Gray for Lulu & Co. sky blue tunic dress.  Liberty continues to be the ‘go to’ store for Antipodium, Richard Nicoll, Christopher Kane and Carven (look out for the most adorable navy duffel coat).

One of the most exciting new arrivals is the new collection of geometric satchel bags by French designer Florian Denicourt.

Based on rue Charlot in le Marais, Florian Denicourt (formerly a designer at Vanessa Bruno) is known for his beautifully-crafted androgynous leather accessories, all made in France.

Pauric Sweeney’s Autumn/Winter 2011 collection will be available in store and he has designed an exclusive range of embossed leather bags for Liberty, which bear a resemblance to the iconic Ianthe print.

Desirable bags for the new season come courtesy of Jérôme Dreyfuss, newly-stocked brand WYRED and Alexander Wang (how about those metal-hinged messenger bags!).

Liberty prints feature highly on the agenda with limited edition Liberty print Barbour jackets, seasonal scarf designs and a brand new selection of Liberty Knot Watches.

Autumn/Winter accessories include Jennifer Behr crystal braided headbands, Simeon Farrar screen-printed scarves and crystal-encrusted sunglasses by A.Morir Keren.Rose.

Dominic Jones, Elke Kramer and ACB by Annie Costello Brown make their debut at the jewellery hall alongside new collections from Eddie Borgo, Lucy Hutchings and Iosselliani.

For more information and to buy online, visit: www.liberty.co.uk

All photos by Chérie City

I had the pleasure of meeting softly spoken Michael at the exhibition and found him as utterly charming as his collections.  Michael told me that the pieces were made using Liberty Art Fabric, vintage material and silks sourced from Italy.

In fact, Michael’s show has been sponsored by Liberty and with the support of Yasmin Sewell, his collection will be stocked there.

Michael’s second show at Fashion East was a flurry of bold pastel dresses created in a palette of fuschia, coral, neon pink navy and grey.  He plays with the idea of decontructing dresses and reworking them with juxtaposing weights and textures, creating a patchwork effect.  One single dress could include a concoction of mohair, silk, sheer jacquards, satin organza and a cluster of Swarovski crystals.

Each garment has a unique feel and has been created using a range of techniques such as curved seams, gathering and draping.  This season, he has also expanded into knitwear, collaborating with CSM classmate and knitwear designer, Morgan Oliver.

The popularity of Michael Van Der Ham’s garments lies in his innate understanding of what women would love to wear.  While the dresses are incredibly pretty, they have a quirky, crafted element and sometimes teeter on the borderline of garish.  But you just have to look at Marc ‘Ugly Betty’ Jacobs’ success to realise that many of us like our fashion with a good dose of granny prints and colour clashing.

Michael Van Der Ham’s jigsaw colour clashing reminds me very much of Erotokritos, whose garmets are usually accentuated with with quilting, knits and sparkly panels.  It also can’t be ignored that Erdem has paved the way for Michael, preparing the fashion world for ‘the new prettiness’ (coined by British Vogue’s Harriet Quick) and helping the revive florals from sartorial siberia.

Even more impressive, Michael Van Der Ham is a one man publicity machine, even handling press enquiries and sample requests on his own.  Michael left The Netherlands to work with avant-garde New York label, As Four, then moved to London to assist Alexander McQueen and Sophia Kokosalaki, before graduating from the Central Saint Martin’s M.A Fashion course.  With the support of Fashion East and Liberty, he is sure to be a ‘one to watch’ in seasons to come.