The ladies can’t get enough of Mary Katrantzou, but what is it about the designer of the moment that makes her dresses so more-ish? FashionTV takes a look at the fashion life and creations of the Queen of prints.

Greek-born, London based fashion designer, Mary Katrantzou, totally smashed it at London Fashion Week this Spring 2013 with her signature oversized prints that wowed the onlooking crowd. So what better reason to celebrate her fabulous designs than a retrospective of her print-tastic career (and a young one at that) so far!

I Want to Fly Away

Mary Katrantzou is known for her digital and three dimensional prints, and is one of the first generation of designers to work with digital. But it was this season’s stamps and foreign currency theme that rocked the London catwalk, as she took us on a visual trip across the waters with a stunning display of creativity.

Katrantzou creates designs that enable the woman to be playful and wear something that she wouldn’t be able to if it was real -- past collections have seen perfume bottles, blown glass, renaissance paintings, oversized jewelry, and interior rooms adorning her sculpted silhouettes -- the latter marked her breakthrough collection in 2011, including a lampshade skirt!

But it was her Autumn 2012 collection that took her oversized themes to the extreme, with a majestic 3D dress that incorporated embroidery by Lesage as well as thousands of Swarovski Crystals to create a couture-level masterpiece -- a textiler’s fantasy!

Katrantzou was born in Athens, in 1983, to an interior designer mother and a father who trained in Textile Design. She moved to America for a BA in Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2003, before transferring to Central Saint Martins, London, and completing her Masters in Fashion Textiles.

Speaking in a behind-the-scenes interview for London Fashion Week, Katrantzou revealed that when she decided she wanted to do her MA in Fashion, she thought that no other capital could support her as London would, “[the city] enables you to exhibit your work from such an early stage,” she commented.

A Second Skin

Katrantzou likes to work with prints and objects and engineer them around the female form. The way her creations are designed are very symmetrical creating a certain balance and essentially a second skin for the woman.

Maybe that’s why celebrities LOVE Katrantzou! After launching her first ready-to-wear collection in 2008 (comprising just nine dresses!), her signature prints quickly became a huge hit on the red carpet with celebrities like Keira Knightly, Claudia Schiffer, Alexa Cheung, Leelee Sobieski, and Anna Dello Russo quickly snapping-up and being snapped-up in her instantly identifiable designs.

But its not only the celebs that have enjoyed a taste of Katrantzou’s craftsmanship! Earlier this year she caused mania at Topshop with her one-off collection hitting the racks for the high-street store.

Future Plans

These days, Katrantzou now boasts over 60 stockists ranging from Corso Como to Barney’s, and her work has featured in publications including Vogue, Dazed & Confused, Wallpaper*, and more.

With a new website, collection of small leather goods, and collaborations with the likes of Current Elliott -- unveiled last week at Paris Fashion Week -- Katrantzou has plenty to keep her colorful energies busy. Looking at her scrumptious Jeans collaboration with Current Elliott, it appears denim will be taking a larger role in Katrantzou’s collections going forward. FashionTV will be keeping a close eye on this lovely lady!

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What’s your favorite look from Katrantzou’s Spring 2013 collection?