Exuberant colors, electric abstract prints and wild florals for fall 2010

LONDON — One-of-a-kind designer Vivienne Westwood presented a gorgeous collection of autumn and winter outfits at London Fashion Week, then went backstage and told reporters she hopes people stop buying her clothes.

“Stop all this consumerism,” said Westwood, the former high priestess of punk who has increasingly used her catwalk shows to spotlight her concern about climate change.

 “I just tell people, stop buying clothes. Why not protect this gift of life while we have it? I don’t take the attitude that destruction is inevitable. Some of us would like to stop that and help people survive,” she said.

Her show capped a gala day at London Fashion Week, with shows by Matthew Williamson, Jasper Conran and other top designers.

Vivienne Westwood

Long one of Britain’s most celebrated designers, Westwood said she wants to try other challenges, including a television series on art and science after she shows her Gold Label collection in Paris next month.

She was in an enviable position: Her new collection had brought the house down, supermodel Kate Moss — in a black top, tight jeans and black leather cap — was waiting to congratulate her, and the audience of adoring fans included singer Janet Jackson and model Naomi Campbell.

The eclectic Red Label collection, which Westwood called romantic, began with models wearing T-shirts designed to call attention to the crisis in Haiti, in hopes of raising money for Campbell’s effort to help mothers and babies displaced by the earthquake there.

Then it moved quickly into Westwood’s special realm, a mixture of odd pairings that combined some traditional elements with looks that were new and different. One outfit mixed brightly colored plaid trousers with a polka dot blouse in orange and red — somehow, it worked.

There were mustard-colored tops and tuxedo-style jackets with pink details, Alice in Wonderland hats, and one model came out wearing an apron, sharpening a knife somewhat menacingly as she walked. Some of the most effective pieces were the simpler ones, including an elegant black cocktail dress that closed the show.

 “The great thing about Vivienne is that you can wear her clothes if you’re 16 or 60,” said Jo Wood, a supermodel in an earlier era who recently returned to the catwalk to model for Westwood. “She’s fantastic.”

Matthew Williamson

Designer Matthew Williamson showed an exuberant display of slinky evening wear in vibrant colors.

With a variety of prints, fur, slim-cut leather pants and even low-rise harem pants, Williamson wowed a star-studded audience with his autumn/winter 2010 collection.

 “Absolutely fantastic,” said ’60s supermodel Twiggy, whose stellar career has been marked by longevity. “I want about 10 things. I want the harem pants in every color, they were amazing, and also those evening dresses, I probably couldn’t wear them, but I think we’ll be seeing a lot of those on the red carpet.”

Twiggy said Williamson’s clothes were extremely wearable. “I love Matthew to death, I think he’s a genius,” she said. “They’re for all age groups. The young look great in them. I’m certainly not young, and I love wearing them.”

Actress Sienna Miller was also proud to pronounce herself a “FOM” — Friend of Matthew — and praised his outfits from her front row perch. So did model Yasmin Le Bon.

“He’s taken the brand to a whole new level,” said Miller, who is showing her Twenty8Twelve collection, designed with her sister Savannah Miller.

The collection showed Williamson’s easy approach, with gray and black checked wool overcoats set off by fur sleeves or collars in the same colors. Underneath the coats, models wore sexy off-the-shoulder dresses or dresses cut extremely low in the back.

Nicole Farhi

Longtime favorite Nicole Farhi started the day with a collection full of oversized jackets with enlarged collars and lapels that seemed to have tripled in size. As the rain poured outside, models came down the runway in oversized wool jackets very appropriate for a cold winter day.

Collars were amplified on dresses and jacket lapels.

It was “bye-bye” to mini skirts — all signs indicate the long skirt is making a comeback for autumn. The below-the-knee lengths created a more mature and sophisticated collection at Nicole Farhi.

Once again, layering came into play. For daywear, knitwear was layered under large wool coats and leggings were worn under skirts.

For eveningwear, glittering sequin dresses were worn under a layer of chiffon for a subtle, glamorous look. Shoulders were emphasized in strapless dresses — in line with the liberally exposed shoulders in many collections the last few days.

Farhi’s different take on the asymmetric neckline had tops falling seductively off the shoulder.

Contrasting textures were also a big theme in her collection. Shiny patent shoes were pieced with chunky knits and leather was worn with heavy tweeds. The main colors were warm grays and camel beige.                   —AP