Acne A/W 09

Jonny Johannsson, the creative director of Acne looked to the expansive flea markets of Clignancourt for inspiration for his latest womenswear A/W 09 collection and so it was fitting that the collection was presented this week in Sir John Soane's house, museum and library in Lincoln Inn's Field, a fashion first for the venue. It was a continuation of grandiose presentation locations as a few weeks ago in Stockholm, Johannsson placed his collection of  smokey PVC trousers, chunky metal platforms and mannish tailoring in front of sculpted white marble horses in the hilltop museum Millesgården.

"This season it is all about the year of furniture for me. The Sir John Soane Museum has an amazing collection of artifacts making it such a magical space for creative learning. No-one has ever held a fashion event of this nature there before," explains Johannsson. Indeed, the collection echoed different facets of a antiques market that played off well with Soane's menagerie; supersized paisley wedges against a floral carpet, painted brown leather gilets picking out the mahogany furniture and upholstery biker jacket against the heavy curtain drapes.  Acne also debuted their fine jewellery line designed in collaboration with German designer Michael Zobel, which consisted of oversized rings and pendants made to look like old artifacts yet you can't quite place their exact period or provenance.

The menswear collection looked less to the past but took its cue from a young Bob Dylan transported to a unidentifiable contemporary environment. The foppish mix of fleece jackets, silk shirts, chunky knits and lurex scarves in a subdued palette played with textures as well as building up a multi-layered wardrobe for male Acne fans