LONDON, September 20, 2007 – "I'm here for the girlfriends. This is my block," said a PR girl at the door of Allegra Hicks' show. She was gesturing to a wide expanse of the seating, and it was full: India Hicks and her mother, Lady Pamela Hicks; Becca Cason Thrash; the Countess of Albemarle; Cosima von Bülow; Suzanne Kapoor; Andrea Dellal. They were there, of course, to support a dear friend, and maybe to shop for next summer's vacation wardrobe. For the press, opposite, it was a bit more puzzling. For apart from the people-noting (these ladies don't turn out just anywhere), it didn't seem like a fashion show at which it was possible to note much fashion going on. Allegra Hicks does caftans, full-length and short, of the kind that hit the high street two years ago—more expensive, maybe, but no news now. She also has a way with pretty leafy prints, summery high-waisted halters, jersey dresses, and then a couple of gowns, one in pale chiffon suspended from crossover spaghetti straps, another in liquid copper. Rather than make it an official on-schedule press show—at the end of a week in which there has been so much innovative design—she would probably do better next time to present her collection in a more private, at-home setting among her friends. That, or regroup and come back with a design statement that feels stronger than this.

– Sarah Mower