London Fashion Week opened with Julien Macdonald autumn/winter 2005-6 collection at the new location at Battersea Park on Sunday. The flamboyant Welsh designer presented a range of matching body-sculpting suits, slinky gowns, and decadent jewel-studded fur jackets.

The signature piece of Macdonald's catwalk show was a shimmering in Swarovski crystals Bordeaux red silk georgette gown with a feather train, worn by Juliette Lewis to the British Academy Film Awards on Saturday. Other celebrities in the audience also dressed in a Macdonald-designed garments included model-actress Rachel Hunter, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, underwear model and reality television star Caprice, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's wife Jools and artist Tracey Emin.

Danish designer Camilla Staerk showed her first ever menswear collection, inspired by Australian rock star Nick Cave, who lives in England with his model wife Susie Bick. The range comprised black and dark blue tailored suits, narrow shirts and skinny silk ties, reports AP. Staerk's womenswear collection, inspired by the French movie "La Maitresse”, featured long sleeved lace 1940s style dresses, high waisted pencil skirts, cat suits in red and panther prints, cropped sweaters and punk-style puffball skirts.

Designers John Rocha, Paul Smith and Nicole Farhi were among the big names taking part in London Fashion Week today.

Fur was in abundance on the runways on the second day of the fashion week.

"We never did fur before this season. But we've had to design it to cater to the Russian market," a spokeswoman for Gharani Strok, the popular duo of Nargess Gharani and Vanya Strok, told AFP.

The bi-annual London fashion event will feature 47 catwalk shows and focus more on new talents and original up-and-coming designers rather than big names. London Fashion Week will continue until Thursday and is expected to attract 4,500 international buyers, fashion journalists and photographers.