Roving Reporter: Diesel Black Gold

Diesel Black Gold's press blurb claimed the show was inspired by the 1920's (not the first time this roaring decade has been referenced this week), but really it was more rooted in youth culture and trends.

Showing a range of both menswear and women's wear, the collection had a Diesel colour palette. This meant denim shades, greys, pale salmons and light olives, flecks of turquoise and tan, accented by sparkler-red shoes. This, to me, is what a Diesel rainbow would look like, as the palette rarely races too much outside the comfort zone, whatever the season.

There was surprisingly little in the way of denim, with Diesel developing their Black Gold range to sit alongside diffusion lines such as See by Chloe and Marc by Marc Jacobs.

The girls choices consisted mainly of separates - there were peg-legged trousers that slouched at the waist and the polar opposite, super skinny-style 'legging-trousers'. These were developed in every shade and marked at the knees in black lines. A slight tribal reference, and key pieces like that will mesh with the rest of the market.

Diesel tend to have good surface textile work and this time opted for a selection of marbled and tie-dyed pieces. This is quite a staple look for Diesel, with that edgy, punk DIY look, where colours appear to run into one another.

This technique was used to adorn everything from oversized vests to cardigans and bodice-style, corset-silhouette tops. Though there were no corsets within, the style and shape was worked into jersey and silks to give the overall effect.

The collection did have a slight 80s twang, through its grungy, street vibe - often a hallmark of any Diesel collection. There was quite a deconstructed feel to pieces, with some partially edged in lace. The flapper era came to life here, and I could imagine the cool kids disassembling pieces of vintage 20s clothes to create these new garments to rove the streets of NYC.

Menswear styling distinctly referenced the Roaring 20s. Suited and booted in checks, dress coats and wool trenches, menswear was fairly smart and upmarket. However, it was quite brassy and only for those with lashings of attitude. There were more mainstream pieces too, but these took the form of layered knits, t-shirts, oh and a pair of leather trousers (sorry, did I say mainstream?).

Styling nodded toward the Deco era with bowlers and trilby hats transforming the boys a bit detective-chic (think Dick Tracy). Corsages adorned suit jackets, while instead of regular loafers, guys wore baseball-style boots to pare down suiting. This is the second time I've seen the return of the baseball boot to the height of fashion!

The show ended with smarter pieces, such as male and female tuxedo styles. Overall a very strong, market-led and commercial collection.