Westwood's circus returns to London town

It is a well-established trend for big-name designers who normally show abroad to come to London Fashion Week for a season. What is more exciting is the possibility that they might actually stay. Dame Vivienne Westwood not only showed her first collection in London rather than Paris, but she has said she will continue to show her Red Label here for the foreseeable future. The Red Label show yesterday was one of the most eagerly awaited events of the week. Westwood, the grande dame of British fashion, sent a parade of her signature looks down the catwalk to a madcap circus-style soundtrack, with her mum and son looking on from the audience. There were curvy tailored tartan jackets and skirts, draped jersey dresses and dramatic belted coats; all styled with crazy crimped hair and a dandy swagger. Punk and S&M touches came from jackets with bondage straps and a sexy secretary, pinstripe skirt suit. Of course this wouldn't be Westwood if there wasn't a political statement along with the sartorial one. The first model came out carrying a protest-style placard which read, "Fair Trial My Arse ... Justice for The Prisoners in Guantanamo Bay". Another drew attention to the charity Reprieve, which works to enforce prisoners' human rights. The British designer Luella Bartley was also back to show in London yesterday, for the second time in a row. She first returned in September having shown her Luella label in New York since 2001. Bartley is known for injecting classic English garments – such as hunting and riding jackets and equestrian kit – with a rebellious punk twist, and yesterday's show built on this successful approach. According to the 34-year-old designer, who now lives in Cornwall, her quirky English source of inspiration was the Museum of Witchcraft in the same county. "I wanted to do something a little dark, gothic, and pagan, but keep the Luella character, which is sugary and fun," she said backstage at Claridge's after the show. It would be hard to miss the witchcraft influence, as the first model came out wearing a pointy hat, and there were puff sleeved gothic minidresses, in black and gold lace, some with full skirts stiffened by layers of net petticoats. Last season's show invoked the angsty teenagers in the film Ghost World, and the clothes, Batman logos and nerdy glasses, were fit for teenage supergeeks. This time round the spirit was similarly youthful and rebellious. Bartley's eternally youthful mix-and-match look seems to fit better with British eclecticism than the slickness of New York; so will she switch to the capital for good? "I'm very happy to be back in London," she said, "but I'm taking it season by season."