Trend Report: The Naughty Debutante

No one present at the Autumn/Winter 2010 shows could have failed to notice the high density of tweed, knits and leather that made its way down the runway. Striding visions of mottled greys and warm auburns evoked images of country getaways and fireside evenings. The British heritage influence was everywhere.

Paul Smith peppered his collection with flat caps, knee-high socks and billowing capes and identified his fall girl as the ‘naughty debutante’. He imagines the girlish charm of a bygone era flavoured with a sexed-up mischief. The heroine’s country pursuits go further than petting her pony. Smith’s corset tops cloaked in tweed capes and cotton shirts speak of a secret wantonness. Think Kate Middleton flashing a garter through the slit of a wool skirt.

Country influences are transformed into something vampish this season. Designers have a Jilly Cooper-esque edge. They take the quaint sophistication of British heritage and inject a youthful glamour.

Jimmy Choo’s reworking of the Hunter Wellington Boot is no exception. Choo takes the country staple and reinvents it as a glossy black vision in crocodile. The design is the object of a waiting list more suited to a limited edition heel. New-age debutantes Mary-Kate Olsen and Peaches Geldoff were among the first to sport the boot and an eager crowd is following in their rubber-clad footsteps.

Likewise the reputable Barbour undergoes a revamp which looks set to catapult it from country practicality to fashion splendour. We have already seen Lily Allen and Alexa Chung hitting the streets in their waxed wonders, and the fall collections’ pursuit of British country style means the brand’s progress is likely to continue.

The genius of the upcoming season lies in its subtle cheek. A youthful flicker of femininity entices from beneath heavy tweeds and slouched knits. The debutante is back. But gone are those prim pretences. We see her emerge reapplying lipstick kissed off by a would-be suitor. She hides Gauloises in her clutch and spikes the punch at the hunt ball. She’s the girl we want to be. So get to it. Synch in those waists, pull knitted socks over the knee and fly the flag for our British heroine.