Sarah Brown, the wife of Britain's prime minister opened London's semiannual fashion extravaganza Friday with a tribute to the late designer Alexander McQueen.

London Fashion Week opens

Also on opening day, Caroline Charles looked to create an easy to wear collection for people focusing on the economy, while fashion house Aminaka Wilmont unveiled their Autumn/Winter collection.

Sarah Brown said the seven-day event would be a "reflective time with sadness at the passing" of McQueen.

Howard Tillman, Chairman of the British Fashion Council, also lead everyone in one minute of silence in respect to McQueen.

The British designer, known for his cutting edge creations, hanged himself only days after his mother's death. McQueen's suicide will darken fashion week, normally a time of champagne and frivolity. He was a central force in helping make London cool again in the 1990s - an enfant terrible who turned catwalk shows into performance art. The son of a London cabbie, his humble roots served as an inspiration to emerging designers.

Paul Costelloe's was the first collection to show on the catwalk Friday. The designer said he was inspired by a Western theme from a film called "The Assassination of Jesse James".

At the start of London Fashion week, Caroline Charles started off with a rigorously classic look, with tweed, fur, gloves, pearls, and oodles of barable, and - unusually - the models wearing them seemed at ease, dropping their usual sneers and pouts for warm smiles that perfectly complemented the chirpy-looking earmuffs and cutely cut tweed jackets.

Fashion house Aminaka Wilmont unveiled their Autumn/Winter collection, which is focused on subtle detailing and had a muted color palette.

This season the designers, Maki Aminaka Lofvander and Marcus Wilmont, have gone for varied fabrics including organic silk jersey, heavy crepe de chine, merino wool, and leather. And, as with their last collection, the pair has included complex digital prints.

London's Fashion Week is not as prestigious as its cousins in New York and Paris, but has long promoted its homegrown talent who add an edgy touch to their clothes. Next up, Vivienne Westwood and Burberry are set to show their latest collections. London Fashion Week runs until Wednesday.