Roksanda Ilincic, the Serbian born, Central Saint Martins trained designer, is collaborating with British high street store Whistles on a capsule collection of cocktail dresses.

The seven pieces will range from £175 to £300, plus the cost of a plane ticket to London if you’re not already there.

Roksanda’s clothes are like fairy tale concoctions full of shifting colors and easy to miss details which makes us wonder how well they’ll translate into mass produced clothing. They’ll be pretty, definitely, but will they have that magical quality her runway collection does?

Then again we’re probably just sad we won’t be able to see them in person (though realistically we won’t have a penny left post-Chris Kane for Topshop). Unless of course, you know, you want to send one our way.

If you remember when we mentioned that Gareth Pugh would be designing his own doll during Fashion Week, here’s the rest of the details about Barbie’s debut:

On April 8th, Dover Street Market in London will open up a space curated by Henry Holland to display the goods ready for sale in honor of Barbie’s big 5-0. And while reports first named Gareth Pugh as her stylist, it looks like he’ll be sticking exclusively to Barbie’s boy-toy, who’ll escort Barbie to the event.

While Henry Holland will be handling most of the Barbie-themed space, designers Danielle Scutt and Roksanda Illincic will team up to design her attire. So for those of you who were looking forward to your decked out Pugh doll, looks like you might have to settle for Ken instead. Or if you’re a real fanatic, you could always get one each of the happy couple and play fantasy wedding.

—CARSON GRIFFITH

Those Balmain shoulders, the sharp eighties silhouette Christophe Decarnin so successfully reinvented last season, popped up on almost every runway, from Behnaz to Topshop, from Herve to Pringle. But a few designers weren’t satisfied with mere shoulder pads and actually ballooned their silks into real life leg-of-mutton sleeves.

Roksanda Ilincic’s silver, almost angular sleeves added an edge to her glamourous pastel shifts while Dolce & Gabbana’s worked in the opposite direction. Their rounded shoulders gave linear dresses womanly curves.

Julien Macdonald’s steroid sleeves are a bit less dramatic but maintain the bubbly upper arm that skinnies at the elbow - because a sleeve of Dolce’s proportions on Macdonald’s already 80’s-loving, zippered, bedazzled mini might be a bit much.

That recession thing everyone was obsessing over during New York Fashion Week? Well, in London, they have no idea what you’re talking about.

From our first show, Ashish - which featured a raging live performance, acrobats and gift bags packed full of makeup - to the last, there wasn’t even the slightest sign of an economic downturn. Champagne and food flowed, beer, wine and liquor, too; coffee in the mornings, water, Vitamin water, and Godiva chocolates everywhere you turned.

Gift bags popped up at almost every show - two at some like Roksanda and PPQ - totes packed with cosmetics, hair products, magazines, t-shirts and Barbies. And it felt like every single designer had an after party - including magazine and store parties, there must have been at least seven events a night.

And the photo pits, which we noticed were considerably smaller in New York this season, were huge. Not just at shows like Vivienne Westwood, but at Charles Anastase and Krystof Srozyna, too.

More importantly, no one even talked about it. Except for us of course, desperately running around asking everyone both British and American why it felt different on this side of the Atlantic. No one had an answer.

So we’ll leave it up to Paris - let the French have the final say in just how much the industry’s letting its inner turmoil reflect in its public face while we recover from London’s rollicking week-long party.

Roksanda Ilincic showed her Fall 09 collection in a proper British library yesterday afternoon at Whitehall.

It was sponsored by Barbie - who continues to reign over Fashion Week on this side of the pond, too - but featured a string of dresses much too elegant for the iconic plastic doll.

The Central St. Martin’s grad, as someone said, “makes high fashion you can actually wear.” Her dresses are Rodarte pretty and equally well made, but you can wear them regardless of whether you’re Keira Knightley or not.

Dresses came in pinks and greys with lace and rhinestone detailing. There was a black coat made entirely of ruffles and tops and skirts made out of what looked like fancy aluminum foil. The models wore fabric discs on each side of their head, Mickey Mouse-like, but the oversized gold bow bracelets made up for them.

If we were ladies who lunch, this is what we’d lunch in.

Fifteen days to LOVE!

We know you knew that, but here’s something more: The magazine launches in the UK on February 19th, London Fashion Week Eve, and will be handed out throughout the week at all of Mandi Lennard’s shows. Mandi’s the PR guru behind House of Holland, Gareth Pugh, Roksanda Ilincic, Eley Kishimoto, Danielle Scutt, formerly POP, TopMan and almost every other thing you want to be part of while in London.

This means that when we get off the red eye on the morning of the 20th and head to the Topshop venue, wherever it may be, we’ll be rejuvenated with delicious treats and the first ever copy of Katie’s new mag, and no one will be left to wonder why London Fashion Week is the most fun of all.

So, Henry thinks it’d “be ace” if you guys could swing by the Best of London Designer sale.

You probably don’t want to go out of your way just because Henry thinks it’d be swell.

But you’ll definitely want to go for his clothes, or maybe a severely discounted Jonathan Saunders dress or Richard Nicoll jacket? If we could book a flight to London, we’d hold out futile hope of snagging this Roksanda Ilincic gown. Or, if you can’t handle “the Alice” maybe you’d like a few pairs of her sister’s shoes since Charlotte Olympia will be there, too?

It’s like London fashion week all over again but so much better because you can buy the clothes for 50% off retail prices.

Oh, and if that’s not enough to make you line up early, some of the designers have actually made pieces just for this sale - as in, no one else will ever have them.

The things we’d do to be there…

We just got our schedule for London Fashion Week, and although the whole event seems incredible as always, there’s one particular day - Wednesday, February 13 - that’s a little too OMG for words.

The party starts at noon with Armand Basi, a favorite avant guardian of ours from last season, when he sent Tanya D. preening down the runway in a skirt of faux plastic feathers and not much else.

At 2:30, Richard Nicoll takes his turn and starts something of an underground fashion triathalon:

3:30 has House of Holland, the uniform of cool DJs and cooler emerging models. 4:30 hosts Fashion East, the hotly anticipated and always crazy group show for new designers. 5:30 slates the Serbian beauty Roksanda Illincic, whose floaty dress is seen on Irina Lazareanu at left, and then 6:30 we get the plastic fantastic genius of artist / designer / resident misfit Gareth Pugh. Strangely (perfectly?) every one of these labels has the same publicist - the madcap babe Mandi Lennard, who’s kind of like Vivienne Westwood mixed with Bonnie Morrison.

Then at 7:30 it’s time for Giles, and 8:30 has Rodnik.

We suggest trying to carpool with Jefferson Hack, Peaches Geldof, or best yet, with Agyness - after all, the shows can’t start until she’s blown through hair and makeup.

The shows in London are over, and the countdown to the Prada show on Tuesday has officially begun. But before you say cheerio to British fashion, check out the clothes from these three designers you might have overlooked. Their clothes aren’t as brash and bright as House of Holland, but we think they still have lots of impact.

Roksanda Ilincic Roksanda is a Serbian by way of Yugoslavia, now living and designing in London. This fall she says she was inspired by 30’s-’70s fashion illustration, and we could definitely see Greta Garbo lounging in one of her flowing charmeuse gowns. They’ve got an understated glamor and elegance that speaks volumes, softly.

Richard Nicoll

Like Roksanda Ilincic, Richard Nicoll played with pumped-up shoulders this season. But in his muted color palette the clothes definitely felt more sculptural than sporty. The next Central St. Martins grad to make a big splash? Maybe…

Jonathan Saunders

Jonathan Saunders has a masters in printed textiles, but his clothes don’t look the way you might expect them to. Instead of running riot with plaids, paisleys, and stripes, Jonathan does simple color blocking. If you like what you see as much as we do, take heart; he’ll be showing in New York next season.

—ANNA FIELDING GRIGGS