We'll Never be Royals*

*But actually, Prince Harry ain't married yet so there's still hope

David Koma | Clover Canyon | Simone Rocha |Mary Katrantzou | Erdem

London Fashion Week came and went - I know, right! - and it left me feeling like quite the anglophile. Plaids and tartans have proven to be a lasting force ever since they first stepped back into the limelight this past fall as a grunge staple, but this season the check print has a decidedly traditional air to it. 

At Clover Canyon and Mary Katrantzou, family shields and crests came back in a big way, and by two designers whose digitalized prints will bring traditional motifs into the twenty-first century. I have a feeling the Mary Katrantzou pieces are going to be especially popular among the street style set - it's totally a way to relive that English prep school fantasy in a more sophisticated fashion.

Simone Rocha created an entire collection that was inspired by the ever-popular Anne Boleyn, the second wife of the notorious Henry VIII and mother to Elizabeth I. 

David Koma was less literally inspired by the styles of medieval England but there was a historical edge to the off-the-shoulder shapes of dresses; in fact, they were quite reminiscent of Aurora's dress from Sleeping Beauty, a hybrid of medieval and 50s dress shapes. Erdem showed similar styles but in rich brocades, and even included a fur coat that resembled a luxurious ermine coat fit for a queen. 

All in all, there's a large sense of national and historical pride amongst the London collections, and I may be as American as they come but I'm all for a little bit of anglomania!