Gareth Pugh...A Great British Designer!

Gareth Pugh is a name that's come out of London and over the last couple of year's his name and designs are becoming more and more well known.  Art as fashion is great (as illustrated by Alexander McQueen's designs), but making a living when that's your signature isn't always a viable path, and it seems to be something Gareth Pugh is coming to terms with.  His Spring 2013 collection did a wonderful job of melding the fashion-forward with the more commercial, a direction the designer started last season.

That said, anyone looking for a soft spring collection needs to look elsewhere as Pugh was inspired by "the rawness of Latin American cockfighting" for his hard-edged, heavy on leather, fringe, and ruffles lineup.  In keeping with the inspiration, monochrome looks came in black, red, and white and one of the most striking was a floor-sweeping black dress finished with a two foot mourning veil.

Japanese dress inspired a number of designers this season and Pugh appears to be one of them with sculpted kimono-style dresses, tops, and coats shown in a variety of iterations.  Following a slew of structured looks, Pugh loosened things up for drapier dresses and separates, many finished with cascading ruffles and long fringe.

Take a look at his diverse and ecclectic collection...