The Brit’s are taking a cue from our successful CFDA/Vogue Fashion fund; Vogue UK and the British Fashion Council have teamed up for the sake of their country’s flourishing young design talent and formed the BFC Vogue Designer Fashion Fund.

Each year, the fund will award £200,000 to a fresh-faced designer, plus a mentor, to help him or her build a successful brand on “the international stage.”

Britain does, of course, already have similar programs. Topshop’s NewGen, which has sponsored Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, Richard Nicoll, Louise Goldin, Henry Holland and so many more tends to scoop up the most talented, most broke of St. Martin’s talent and give them the perfect place to show, but the BFC/Vogue fund will have more follow through and individualized attention.

Wearing socks with sandals is usually listed near the top of any fashion don’t list.

Last fall, everyone welcomed tights with open toes. But it looks like spring’s headed in an even less practical direction pairing socks, whether ankle or knee high, with your favorite sandals. You can do it with platform wedges a la Topshop or Burberry, flats like Marni, shoe booties like Wang and Charles Anastase or studded party shoes like Louise Goldin.

Marc’s fall 06 show was the last time we even considered trying this (though alas, we aren’t Karen Elson), but we’re still not sure about its resurgence for spring.

If you have to wake up at 8am on a Sunday morning, severely jet-lagged and having worked more than two weeks straight, you want to see a collection like Louise Goldin’s.

The Central St. Martin’s grad and knitwear genius sent out a parade of candy colored outfits with mini-Madonna circa Gaultier bullet bras under lightweight sweaters and wrapped tulle with mini skirts and fanned dresses. There were knit jumpsuits with gold glitter. She stuck what looked like rollers under the shoulders of vests and jackets to give a different kind of volume. Models wore leather shorts and lace and sparkles and studs and quilted trim and cropped sweaters and spectacular crystal embroidered leggings and still somehow, it avoided looking over the top.

I’ve seen a terrifying amount of crop tops in the past couple of weeks, but this is the first time I’ve thought that maybe, just maybe, it’d be worth joining a gym for spring. As for bullet bras? Count me in.

Lily Allen’s landed the cover of ELLE UK’s October issue in honor of the 25th anniversary of London Fashion Week.

They’ve put her in a blond wig and custom outfits by Brit designers including Richard Nicoll, Stella McCartney, Burberry and Giles. The crystallized, body con Louise Goldin’s her favorite.

In this behind the scenes video, which also features photographer Rankin talking about how “uber-cool” Lily is, she says she’s never really been into the whole Kate Moss, Sienna Miller thing and jokingly claims Alexa Chung’s her London Style Icon.

It’s the graphic rock star make-up we really couldn’t take our eyes off of though.

WHICH group of fashion show go-ers rolled up to Louise Goldin an hour after the show had finished? They just couldn’t understand how she dare put her models on the runway without their particular presence.

The British Fashion Council just announced this season’s recipients of their New Gen award.

Topshop, the sponsor behind the award, will back twenty-four up and coming designers with space in the London Fashion Week tents throughout the week. The tents stand on the grounds of the Natural History Museum next to the main runway venue and get serious foot traffic from editors and buyers killing time in between shows.

Eight of the winning designers, including Henry Holland, Danielle Scutt, Louise Goldin, Meadham Kirchhoff and Peter Pilotto, will also get sponsorship for their runway shows. Which means, most importantly, a free venue. Last season’s Topshop space (an underground garage), was home to Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, delicious food and an atmosphere more suited to partying than working.

Which we’re sure that bunch’ll be fine with.

During London Fashion Week I drove Faran crazy: “But Topshop! When do we get to go to Topshop??”

“Britt,” she’d say, “You have a ticket to Luella in your hand. Do not worry, we’ll get to Topshop, after we work.”

When we finally got to shop, I left with an inordinate amount of retro lingerie. At that point, I might’ve actually believed that my Spring wardrobe would be as sheer as the runways. So of course I’d need vintage slips and conservative, but still sexy underwear - Hanky Pankys weren’t going to cut it under Henry Holland’s sheer florals

Now reality’s set in and I most definitely won’t be wearing that Louise Goldin dress I thought was so cool three months ago - but I still have extremely high-waisted underwear, (which has since been duplicated at your local Urban), sitting in my drawer and I’m wondering, do I wear it?

If I do wear it under something barely sheer so that one notices a different silhouette, will they look more Bridget Jones than Betty Page, or will onlookers just wonder what the hell is going on with my lace-covered tummy?

I suppose it’s more likely that no one will notice, but out of curiosity, would you, or have you already rocked high-waisted underwear? If so, how’d that go?

The lucky British few whose Fall collections will be financially supported are out:

Louise Goldin, Danielle Scutt, Meadham Kirchhoff, House of Holland and Peter Pilotto, with Nasir Mazhar, maker of major headgear, winning events sponsorship.

The recognition (and £5,000 - £10,000 for about three seasons straight) is a pretty big deal - previous winners who were previously unknown include Matthew Williamson, Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen, Giles Deacon, Sophia Kokosalaki, and Marios Schwab.

And those receiving exhibition sponsorship at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington this September include David David, Felder Felder, Hannah Marshall, Nicolas Kirkwood - and Poltock and Walsh.

We’re especially happy to see Poltock and Walsh on there again, and since Topshop sponsors the NewGen initiative, we’re just going to keep on hoping that their Topshop rumor is just a few months from totally reality…

We love the Isabel Toledo quote, “trends are for amateurs,” but today a Vogue UK editor told us something we might like better:

“You know the reason Christopher Kane’s dresses are so short?” She asked.

“It’s because he’s poor. He can’t afford to waste a single inch of fabric, and everything needs to be mini.”

She raised this point during Louise Goldin’s show, when the young designer’s knits barely covered her models’ butts.

We liked the show, which looked like Nu Rave Missoni (Hilary Alexander nodded when we gave her this assessment, so we’ll keep it).

We also like this theory about short hemlines and young (or just broke) designers, as it gives a strange style power to those designers with lots of vision, but no money.

Now just wait for TopShop to glom onto the silhouette so those shoppers with vision, but no money, can also have some power.