Designer's hats turn heads in London

Alison Tod is the toast of London Fashion Week

A milliner from the mid Wales countryside has been turning heads at London Fashion Week.

Alison Tod - whose Aristohats studio is based in Abergavenny - designs her hats mostly with women in mind.

Alison Tod's designs feature everyday materials

But she has used half-naked male models - including Wales's World Super Middleweight boxer Jo Calzaghe - in her latest show "to emphasize the masculinity of the hats".

The creations are crafted from everyday objects such as wood veneer, wire and rope.

"A lot of my pieces are made of natural elements which have a Welsh theme," she said.

Many of the materials she uses can be found in the countryside around her rural workshop.

Ms Tod was Welsh Fashion Designer of the Year in 1999 and her creations are seen regularly at prestigious racing meetings at Chepstow, Ascot, and Goodwood.

Her designs are increasingly popular abroad, especially in France and Italy, where her customers are prepared to wear much bolder and more adventurous designs than British women.

Bold designs were shown off at the London show

Hats and accessories have largely always been the poor relation at London Fashion Week - playing second fiddle to the main clothing events.

And although Ms Tod's 'Off Its Head' show was not on the official catwalk schedule, it demonstrated that more attention is being paid to milliners and their work.

The simple look of the show was in sharp contrast to the extravagance shown by fellow Welsh fashion designer Julien MacDonald.

On Tuesday night he failed to win the British Designer of the Year award but was awarded the prestigious Most Glamorous Designer