It's actually been quite a van-der-Ham-ish week all round, in London -- over the past three days, a number of shows have encroached on the designer's fragmented, suggestive aesthetic -- from Richard Nicoll's overlapping, minimal slips and David Koma's split silhouettes to Mary Katrantzou's broken, geology-inspired textures.

So it was as well that van der Ham seemed to be in the mood for something slightly different. Showing in the thankless pre-Burberry slot, at a time when most of the audience's minds were drifting ahead to the state of the traffic between Kings Cross and South Kensington, he sent out pieces which slowly coalesced into the suggestion of a shift in his thinking.

For those whose attention was on the runway, though, there was plenty of interest. Van der Ham rarely shouts with his clothes -- but where his textures have previously seemed to lightly drift together, today the technique of making and joining was brought to the fore. Heavy lurex embellishments hung from drooping indigo and heliotrope gowns, and bodices came weighted with thickly-padded applique blocks of cotton and denim. Soft tweeds had subtle, folded seams which added depth and definition, whilst sweatshirts were layered with randomly-placed slabs of contrast fabric.

As elsewhere this week, though, the collection was clearest when it was quietest -- like the printed shifts sliced with asymmetrical organza panels, or the coral-colored skirts with dropped, layered waistbands. Despite the low volume, van der Ham has plenty to say. Here's hoping he managed to get enough people's attention.