Jessica Ogden

Girly, naïve and playful are three words to describe Jessica Ogden's spring/summer 2006 collection. Presented off the beaten fashion track at the Sunbeam Studios in north west London, the out of the way location did little to deter the fashion set from careering across town for the show.

Ogden demonstrated a predisposition towards cotton gingham dresses, pinafores and crochet tops and dresses. Raw cotton was the material of choice, calling to mind an innocence and unpretentiousness emblematic of youth. Working with a muted palette of predominantly cream, beige, olive green, dark grey and black detailing, Ogden chose a fresh crop of young models to underscore the natural, free-spiritedness of the collection. The image the girls called to mind was of freedom and youth and a complete lack of complications.

Ogden favours shapes like puff sleeves and puff-ball shorts, baby doll empire waisted tops and roomy silhouettes. The emphasis lies on ease and comfort; in this case the girls wear the clothes, and not the other way around.