Last night I was meeting deadlines while watching ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here”, rather than fading into the background amongst the fashion elite at The Savoy. However  I did make sure to keep an eye on Twitter feeds for glimpses of attendees outfits and any gossip from the event. The evening was hosted by the perennially dapper George Lamb and thinking- mans crumpet Lauren Laverne, and saw an unrivaled guest-list of fashion favourites and A-listers grace the red carpet including. BFC Ambassador Samantha Cameron, Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson, Colin Firth, Olivia Palermo, Kelly Brook, Josephine de la Baume, Marc Jacobs, Lady Amanda Harlech and Alexa Chung to name a few.

The majority rightfully predicted that Sarah Burton would be awarded with the esteemed Designer of the Year. Her steering of the Alexander McQueen brand since Lees tragic death has been faultless, managing to create collections that keep his legacy alive well instilling her own touch of genius.

The  New Establishment Award was a new addition to the ceremony for 2011. It was introduced to recognise a particular movement in British fashion that is taking the industry by storm and there was no worthier winner than Christopher Kane, whose visionary designs for his own label continue to lead trends globally, appear frequently in the main fashion shoots of our biggest glossies and adorned by our most coveted young fashionistas – Alexa Chung was a gorgeous example of this on the night.

Sam Gainsbury of Gainsbury and Whiting won The Isabelle Blow Award For Fashion Creator.  This year she turned her talents to the ‘Savage Beauty’ exhibition which broke all records and has been widely recognised as the most successful fashion exhibition in the world.

The Red Carpet Award went to celebrity favourote Stella McCartney who stood out from the crowd in a pale grey jumpsuit . You’d be hard pushed to find a star-studded event without one of her dresses stealing the limelight with Liv Tyler and Kate Winslet being  frequent clothes horses for the brand in 2011.

A teary and overwhelmed Victoria Beckham, who looked stunning in a black floor length gown by all accounts, was the recipient of the Designer Brand award. Unlike many other high end designers who receive great praise from the fashion press, she has successfully managed to translate positive media coverage into sales.

Another designer who has manages to make designs that actually sell is Mary Katrantzou, who was awarded the ‘Emerging Talent – Womenswear’. The bold and fascinating prints that Mary creates have been showcased via red carpet appearance by Oscar Nominees Hailee Steinfeld and Keira Knightly and  Alexa Chung.  and are great examples of the brilliant work and talent our capital city cultivates.

Tabitha Simmons earned recognition for her footwear brand by winning the ‘Emerging Talent Award- Accessories’ – head to her wonderful website now to see her designs showcased in video featuring some wonderful toe tapping action.

It was great to hear someone receiving acclaim for their ethical credentials with Christopher Raeburn received the award for ‘Emerging Talent Award – Menswear ‘.

Its been a successful , if not undoubtedly busy and stressful year l for Kim Jones, who was appointed Style Director at Louis Vuitton. Last night his hard work was rewarded when he was honoured as the BFCs stand-out ‘Menswear Designer ‘.

I would imagine that the result of this would have been very different had this been an award voted for by the public, but last night we saw the statuesque Stella Tennant collect the ‘Model’ award.  This year has seen her secure editorials and major campaigns with both high street and designer giants, including Zara, Reed Krakoff, Etro, Chanel and Celine.

The ‘Accessory Designer of the Year‘ award will also be a hard to call as we are particularly good at creating both classic and quirky accessories here in London. This year Charlotte Dellal would come through triumphant with her much loved  footwear label Charlotte Olympia, which is inspired by the glamour of the 40s and 50s and is a constant go to for shoots and red carpet appearances. With soft waves and a stained lip she perfectly channeled this quirky retro aesthetic as she posed on the blue carpet.

The British Fashion Award for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Fashion‘, which recognises one designer who throughout their career has made an impact on the industry internationally, went to the inspirational Paul Smith who is a true icon in the industry for all that he consistently brings to the world of fashion.

For a second year running a surprised and humbled Alexa Chung scooped the British Style award, accepting the award in a charmingly awkward manner. She joked that her win, which was decided by a public vote, was most probably down to  her parents spending a lot of time calling. Despite being notably more absent from our screens it appears that Alexa still embodies to spirit of the city more than any other and she said she was just grateful for still being relevant in 2011. Vodafone sponsored this award after being unveiled as the new Principal Sponsor of London Fashion Week for the next seven seasons.

Predictably Alexa Chung was by Best Dressed of the night. Dressed in the last look from Christopher Kanes achingly pretty S/S collection, she maintained her usual paired down nonchalance with minimal make up and relaxed hair, her cat shoes adding that aspect of much loved British eccentricity.

Harold Tillman CBE, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, commented, “This year’s nominees demonstrate the breadth and creativity London has to offer. The fashion brands and designers that are based here set the trends across the globe. In addition, we are thrilled to be working alongside Save the Children on their Born to Walk Tall campaign, championed by our BFC Ambassador Samantha Cameron, this year.”

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About the author

Sophie Eggleton
After finishing her Fine Art degree Sophie went on to gain experience within the fashion teams of UK magazines Eve, Glamour, Elle, First and Vogue . She then spent time as a stylist assistant for publications including NME and Easy Living, then combined her art background with fashion at Alexander McQueen, as an artwork assistant. She currently freelances as a Music/fashion journalist writing for online and print publications including The Guardian, Disappear Here, Bring The Noise, FASHIONMUSICSTYLE, Stylebible, Guestlist as well as LDNfashion twitter. North, South, East or West? South High Class or Common or Garden? In the middle of Common and High Class Clothes or Culture? Both of course! Visiting a gallery in your finest outfit for instance! My best night out ever made me feel... Like I was lucky to be alive...but that cocktails aren't always my friend