London fashion week, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, begins today.

The Autumn/Winter 2009 collection by British designer Hannah Marshall is caller “Armour”, and loosely based on the exoskeletons of insects.

Hannah Marshall’s third collection, aptly named Code Black, is a call to the strong woman. Inspired by female icons such as Siouxsie Sioux, Grace Jones and Alison Mosshart, as well as panels of steel armor, it is meant to protectively conceal and reshape the female form, focusing on the shoulders, evoking power and emotion. Her signature black dresses have taken on sharp silhouettes and a fabric contrast between hard leathers and soft chiffons. My favorite pieces are a leather cardigan dress with sheer sleeves, a deep v-neck panel dress, a tailored mini with seam detailing and rouched sleeves, and a loose velvet t-shirt dress. An interesting detail, each piece is braille coded with the collections name inside.