And then, the clothes. 

Deliciously over-the-top and as sparkly as ever, Ashish Gupta turned out a sequined version of every print and pattern that could possibly mismatch.

Hard to believe everyone in the audience would rave over a sequined American-flag blazer; a sequined periwinkle, fair-isle jumper; a sequined leopard-spot jumper in red and orange and yellow; or a sequined, holographic-blue mini dress. But they did, and the love continued for each pair of shimmering jeans, neon leopard-print tights and zebra-print platform booties.

Mr Gupta brought '80s touches in a season where that seems de rigueur, but rather than the prerequisite power-suit silhouettes and shoulder pads, he went back two decades by adding fringe to the shoulder seams of jackets and multi-coloured pom-poms down the sides of his sweatshirt sleeves. Then, of course, there was the jolt-your-eyes colour palate, which reminded everyone young enough to miss most of the original '80s why it's not always bad to go back. As for makeup, the use of green and blue lipstick should provide enough of a hint.

None of this should have worked, and yet it did – effortlessly. The beauty about London fashion is that in the midst of a global financial wreck, in a season when half the editors and buyers and socialites normally at our first-day shows were still in Manhattan, a man with a vision can roll out a few unabashedly optimistic, sparkly clothes and make an audience forget anything was ever wrong.

By Jill Hilbrenner