London ? Fashionistas descended on the swanky London borough Chelsea on Saturday for the opening catwalk shows of London Fashion Week, an event organizers hope will cement the British capital’s reputation as the international home of edgy new talent.

As the spotlight swung across the Atlantic after a packed week of shows in New York, London was under pressure to prove that the innovative styles it often displays can translate into sales.

But it was its standing as the cheeky upstart to the more established fashion capitals like Paris and Milan that was most in evidence on the opening day, when Polish-born Arkadius Weremczuk sent his final model down the catwalk in a white feathered wedding dress with two doves on the bodice, from which trailed lines of red feathers resembling blood.

The designer himself then emerged from the wings to join the model — clad in a red-checked keffiyeh, an Arab headscarf, and gown that was emblazoned with the American flag on the front and the Statue of Liberty on the back.

His “United States of Mind” show also featured jeans, shorts and the tiniest of miniskirts — all with mixed motifs of dollar signs, Stars of David and the face of President Bush.

“This show has to do with the politics of the world, to do with how the Middle East is treated by the so-called West,” Weremczuk said afterward. “It is a way of talking about a wonderful culture, a wonderful country.”

John Wilson, the chief executive of the British Fashion Council, said that that kind of innovation is what makes London different on the fashion circuit.

“What London is best at is showing new and upcoming designers and getting them on to the catwalk and exhibiting early on in their careers,” said Wilson.

“It would be terribly boring if we all just produced the same sort of stuff. If you look at the reports of New York fashion week, it’s obviously been a great event but there would be a particular view that it isn’t particularly innovative,” he added.

London Fashion Week is the twice-yearly showcase for the best of British designers and organizers expect more than 4,000 buyers, journalists and photographers to attend.

A model wears an outfit by Arkadius during his show at London Fashion Week. The designers are showing their Spring/Summer 2004 collections.