London Fashion Week: Mulberry’s foxes and front-row hounds

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With a forest full of flora and fauna decorating the runway, and no less than seven furry fashionistas of the canine variety in the front row (one wearing Mulberry finery, another being toted in it), it was clear that this collection was going to be a wild one.

Turns out, Mulberry designer Emma Hill was inspired by ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ -- both the Roald Dahl book and the Wes Anderson film -- all the way down to the hardware on the latest Alexa handbag (tiny gold fox-head rivets on the turn locks).

The clothing had a cute fox-and-hounds, English countryside vibe. Anderson would have loved the burgundy corduroy swing jacket and matching skirt, and the whimsical bird-print dress. There was also plenty for the urban fashion animal to wear, including jodphurs tucked into wedge heel boots, long skirts in autumnal prints and checks, worn with wooly sweaters and pompom scarves. Bags -- the Alexa, the Bayswater, the Carter and more -- came in deep colors of mock crocodile.

Clemence Poesy and Kirsten Dunst were the front-row attraction at the early show. But the four-legged starlets that came to the second showing were a lot more fun to watch, especially the St. Bernard that looked as if he wanted to take a bite out of the diminutive terrier walking a model down the runway.

-- Booth Moore in London