Only days away, New York Fashion Week is shifting into high gear, but let us not forget that London is just around the corner. As an apt reminder, today the British Fashion Council announced the nominees for this year’s British Fashion Awards (December 7), celebrating the best and brightest from jolly old England.

The shortlist includes a few photogenic surprises, i.e. Victoria Beckham for Designer Brand and that Anglo Adonis David Gandy in the Model category. Despite the Zoolander implications, we’re grateful for him every day. Yet apparently being British isn’t a rigid prerequisite, as the lovely and Dutch Lara Stone is also nominated. We guess having a British dad and hubby makes one British by osmosis.

A new category has also been created, the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator, a fitting tribute for the late, great muse. The inaugural nominees include Nick Knight, Nicola Formichetti, and Rankin.

But of course, it’s all about the top prize, Designer of the Year, which will see Christopher Kane and Erdem battle it out with the comeback kid, Phoebe Philo, whose runway success at Céline is schooling everyone. While we love us some flower prints, our odds this year are on neo-minimalist chic.