Sara Berman A/W 2005

Not Exactly Dressed Up
But Doing a Damn Fine Impression of It

This autumn/winter sees Sara and Aimee Berman continue their ongoing fascination with traditional British heroines - the kind of girl who grew up reading Enid Blyton yet graduated to Evelyn Waugh, and whose wardrobe can be as sensible or sensuous as the occasion demands.

But as such, the collection is not created with a particular muse in mind, rather a generation of young British women who exude a quiet elegance that has little to do with the spiked heels, logo-ed handbags or flashy accessories of their Continental counterparts.

From Chelsea to Cheltenham and beyond, these girls do not identify with the podium dancers of Ibiza, nor do they while away the hours baking cakes for the WI. Neither wannabe nor wallflower, they're a breed who steadfastly create their own agendas - and, if clothes are a mirror to the soul - then their wardrobes are just as idiosyncratic as their personalities.

But enough of this flattery and down to the nitty gritty of the collection itself.

Keying into the Britisher’s love of practicality, autumn/winter 2005 is designed with versatility in mind. From a chrysanthemum brocade swing coat with jewelled buttons, to a raspberry double-breasted knit cardie with military fastening, the Berman sisters have added a hint of drama to the seemingly mundane, ensuring the wearer feels equally at home buying milk from the corner shop as they would attending at a smart dinner party; and what’s more, in outfits which allow them to do both without taking a fashion pit-stop.

In fact, the idea of duality is key to the spirit of the season. For instance, you could be the carefree type who’d casually team a red leopard print chiffon blouse with a pair of skinny velvet jeans, or conversely throw a powder blue tweed jacket over the top for tea with a maiden aunt.

Or, try wearing a complex Liberty print shirt with all the druggy connotations of an acid trip, that can be rendered instantly innocent when twinned with a Glen plaid pea coat and a knitted bobble hat. The end result? - far more suited to chopping logs than gathering magic mushrooms.

Similarly, the safari chiffon reappears in a vivid violet cocktail dress complete with prerequisite bow, that can be made as soignée - or slutty - as the occasion requires. And as for those of a more nervous disposition; evening styles also come in a subtle geometric print with a diaphanous overskirt, or a shot aqua chiffon version that wraps up like a kimono.

Lastly, there’s always the piece which everyone covets, that requires neither bravery nor fosters anonymity. In this case it’s a knitted navy three-button blazer with a raspberry trim - a jacket so multi-faceted that it would find favour on both sides of the generation gap, so practical you could stuff a paperback in the pocket and so versatile you could wear it anywhere.

In fact, just like the rest of the collection.