AW09 PRESS RELEASE

There is something wistfully romantic about turbulence. Whilst everyone else is worrying about stocks and shares, Sara Berman has gone back to raw passion and laddered tights. The last time the world went bust, women like Greta Garbo took solace in long cigarette holders, rebelliously short hair and bias cut lame. They had a riot below the financial commotion and Sara Berman follows their seditious lead. If this means drinking unhealthy amounts of cheap white wine and not taking off your mascara, then so be it. Hung-over skin and smoky eyes just happen to be the perfect accompaniment to her shadowy pansy prints, grunge checks and just-on-the-right-side-of-slutty evening silks anyway.

Talking of the evening, there is no need to save your best for after dark. The look this season is a bit mixed up, kind of thrown together – artfully, of course – and actually surprisingly comfortable. If you want to mix a neon stripe with a mustard bow-fronted blazer then go ahead, the world is your oyster. Actually, this collarless blazer is a stand out piece that would work just as nicely over the knitted bodycon dress as it does with a periwinkle silk bubble shift. The collection is interchangeable, a starting point if you like, a place from which you can let you creative expressions run riot.

Back to those all-night girls; her first weakness is come-hither sparkles. She also likes drippings of Italian-mama-in-mourning black lace and some shine thrown in for good measure. The silhouette is either short enough to show of the laddered tights or slim with a little slouch in the trouser shape. Knitwear, as always, plays an important role in literally knitting this collection together. Wear one of Sara Berman’s heavy duty navy cardi-coats over the mustard rosette dress or keep it casual over woollen plus fours.

Outerwear is also key. If you know Sara Berman, you’ll understand her ability to turn what looks like an ordinary coat into a something strong and unique. Perhaps it’s the cleverly placed Artful Dodger buttons or maybe its her fearless pursuit of working bold prints – this winter, she focuses on checks – into places others keep plain and simple. Whatever the reason, the coats and jackets are winners. And the icing on the cake is her new millinery. For girls who haven’t slept all night, Sara Berman has very kindly made dark 70s air hostess numbers each with a netting veil that will simultaneously cover imperfections and make you look smouldering. The bags are another triumph, throwing shots of acid pink and canary into the mix. This collection has soul and attitude; it was born on dark Parisian back streets and will capture a bit of rebellion in all of us.