Nicole Farhi welcomed show-goers to the Royal Horticultural Society for a garden get-together in anticipation of her 30th year in business.
/var/elleuk/storage/images/catwalk/collections/nicole-farhi/spring-summer-2012/collection/farhi-rs12-1017-nicole-farhi-london-spring-summer-2012/7309646-1-eng-GB/farhi-rs12-1017_CC.jpg /var/elleuk/storage/images/catwalk/collections/nicole-farhi/spring-summer-2012/collection/farhi-rs12-1017-nicole-farhi-london-spring-summer-2012/7309646-1-eng-GB/farhi-rs12-1017_C0.jpg iMAXTREE 
/var/elleuk/storage/images/catwalk/collections/nicole-farhi/spring-summer-2012/collection/farhi-rs12-1023-nicole-farhi-london-spring-summer-2012/7309639-1-eng-GB/farhi-rs12-1023_CC.jpg /var/elleuk/storage/images/catwalk/collections/nicole-farhi/spring-summer-2012/collection/farhi-rs12-1023-nicole-farhi-london-spring-summer-2012/7309639-1-eng-GB/farhi-rs12-1023_C0.jpg iMAXTREE 
/var/elleuk/storage/images/catwalk/collections/nicole-farhi/spring-summer-2012/collection/farhi-rs12-1041-nicole-farhi-london-spring-summer-2012/7309625-1-eng-GB/farhi-rs12-1041_CC.jpg /var/elleuk/storage/images/catwalk/collections/nicole-farhi/spring-summer-2012/collection/farhi-rs12-1041-nicole-farhi-london-spring-summer-2012/7309625-1-eng-GB/farhi-rs12-1041_C0.jpg iMAXTREE 
/var/elleuk/storage/images/catwalk/collections/nicole-farhi/spring-summer-2012/collection/farhi-rs12-1033-nicole-farhi-london-spring-summer-2012/7309632-1-eng-GB/farhi-rs12-1033_CC.jpg /var/elleuk/storage/images/catwalk/collections/nicole-farhi/spring-summer-2012/collection/farhi-rs12-1033-nicole-farhi-london-spring-summer-2012/7309632-1-eng-GB/farhi-rs12-1033_C0.jpg iMAXTREE 
Opening with a yellow tulip-shaped dress cinched in the front with a wide dojo-style sash, the collection progressed through a buttercup grouping and into colour-blocked separates.
Farhi extended her fabric experimentation, showing skirts and tunics in an exaggerated mesh, almost like a wearable rose trellis. Leather laser-cut flowers and moulded plastic sequins that resembled sweet wrappers were sprinkled over shirts.
The inevitable florals came smudgy and pixellated, as if to lighten potential garden-party associations.
There were some fantastic wedges with straps that wrapped all the way around the heels, but best of all were the dresses. Whether belted and trench-coat-style with balloon sleeves, or body-skimming and one-shouldered, they were as fresh as a newly cut peony.
A crisp white dress came with a loose peplum which, when the model turned, could be seen to be faced in lime fabric. That little flash said it all: clean, surprising and lovely.
