Central St. Martins

With the much anticipated arrival of summer comes a bittersweet moment as well: The iconic Charing Cross building of Central Saint Martin's College of Art & Design (or CSM) is set to shut its historic (and heavy, might I add!) doors at the close of the season, through which have passed some of the most prolific talents in fashion, fine art, film and music: Alexander McQueen, Peter Doig, Sarah Burton, Hussein Chalayan, Hamish Bowles, Anthony Gormley, and M.I.A to name a few. The beloved, well-worn building is, as CSM puts it, is "not easily adapted to keep up with fast changing technology and industry." It may not be shiny or new--call it stubborn--but some of us like it just the way it is. It has history and charm, which I was fortunate enough to experience while studying Fine Art there for three years. Yes, I may have found myself painting in a puffy down jacket in the dead of winter due to the unreliable heating system in the 3rd floor studios, but that just helped justify lots of tea breaks and Lady Sovereign impersonations.

LONDON-- The most highly anticipated graduate show in fashion, London's Central St. Martins College of Art served up 40 of its most promising talents to industry recruiters, buyers and press last night. With inflating Helmut Newton inspired pieces and a show-closing collection modeled on stilts, this was undoubtedly one for the books. Alumni Gareth Pugh and Jean-Pierre Braganza sat shoulder to shoulder with art world heavies including the ever-colorful Grayson Perry and even Met Costume Institute director Harold Koda was caught wide-eyed and grinning. Judges included designer Marios Schwab, Hilary Alexander from The Telegraph and fashion film maker Kathryn Ferguson. Winners were presented with cash awards up to ₤1,000 from Fashion Fringe, now in its seventh year supporting emerging designers. L'Oreal was also on deck celebrating its 10th year in collaboration with St. Martins.

Whether it was from exhaustion or elation, a few tears were shed and a tantrum or two thrown inside talent incubator Central St. Martins this past Monday. Why the brouhaha? The 40 graduates who'll make it into the final press show next Tuesday--the one that's covered by everyone from Fashionista to Style.com to Vogue UK--were chosen. And while about 80 students were left behind, most of the creations shown in Monday's preliminary trial were anything but forgettable.

School is ending, graduation season is upon us, and perhaps you’re wondering what to do with your life. Well, if fashion design--or a related career--is calling you, we’ve compiled a list of the top fashion schools in the world. To generate our list, we spoke to students, employees at the schools, companies who hire graduates, and industry professionals. We also considered tuition costs and demographics. Then we mashed it all together to come up with five schools that are worth a look. And they are...

This morning the British Fashion Council released a shortlist of designers up for the first ever BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund - the CFDAs for Brits