From my sofa (I’m still in recovery from my ‘accident’), London Fashion Week has held me enrapt. I’ve been ogling this year’s shows and just couldn’t keep my mouth shut. Below is my 2 cents on the shows so far. I can’t pick a favourite yet, I keep getting blown away by the next show! I just watched Basso and Brookes’ show this morning and at the moment, they’re at the top!
Some exciting trends are going to come out of these shows and are destined to appear in a high street store near you in the near future. Thankfully so many of these can be easily translated into DIY projects.
Paul Costelloe showed a blouse that blows all other blouses out of the ballpark!
Black sheer chiffon with billowing balloon sleeves, high neck, and an offset ruffle on the front - it is more of a dream than an article of clothing. He tucked it into a black and blue checked lantern mini-skirt and put sleek leather-look over-the-knee footless socks/warmers over the model’s legs.
His mid-thigh length belted coat is the perfect topper for his full skirts.
His show overall was polished and very well executed. Prediction: like Alexander Wang’s SS10 backless socks with braces (learn how to make your own here: www.jazzimcg.com), these over-the-knee, footless ‘socks’ are going to be a must-have accessory.
Caroline Charles revealed some beautiful jacquard knit (or intarsia, haven’t seen an up-close pic yet) dresses styled with sweet little fascinators.
I love a hat and was thrilled that almost every model had on some sort of headgear. The leather flight caps were adorable.
Maria Grachvogel presented plenty of black but also offered some gorgeously feminine looks in jeweltones and graphic watercolour prints.
I’m in love with this grass green jumpsuit.
Not sure if seawitch was the look Aminaka Wilmont was going for but that’s how it came across and it looks horrid. I don't know what they were thinking by putting black bags on their models' feet either.
I know rules are made to be broken, but I just don’t like pure white winterwear although I am more tolerant of it than I once was. That said, I still can’t figure out what Hakaan was thinking with his super short and skimpy white tennis dress! How is that ever going to be Autumn/Winter wear? I did like the shape and form of some of his more structured pieces however. The grey leather coat has a wonderful shape as do the sculpted shoulders of his LBD.
Bora Aksu, I admire his brave use of form, the soft framing encircling differing textures but the extra hip width makes most of these dresses unwearable. Even his skinny models aren’t flattered by the volume. He’s from Turkey, where they like meaty women, maybe he wants to create that illusion. Perhaps I am being too harsh. The artistic qualities of these dresses is worth noting.
Jena.Theo was next in line. These 'sacs' fail in my eyes. Far too much fabric, shapeless. I can appreciate the interest in creating ‘space’ with clothing but looks better on paper than on a human woman. The floppy shoes look garish and out of place. The ensemble shown right is my reluctant favourite.
Felder Felder, the sister team, used leather to create sexy and strong pieces inspired by the underwear as outerwear movement. Nice shapes and interesting frills on sleeves and hips.
Forget caged shoes, Hannah Marshall has come out with the cage dress. It’s also a bit like strapping and therefore has a hint of S&M.
Eye catching optic prints and bold graphic lines at Jean-Pierre Braganza. Love the Pagoda Roof shoulders on his burgundy 1940’s power dress.
Sass and Bide – lovely cut outs and asymmetry. Lace top w/ wide stripe trousers and military-esque jacket w/ epaulets was my fave.
Daks’ helmet hats, shoulder cape, flat oxfords, they warmed my heart. Very tame though overall.
Charles Anastase is my new FBF. Colour!! I’ve been screaming for it. Here it is and couldn’t you just eat it up?!! The turquoise knit tubular dress is simple but majestic especially paired with blood red tights and red python platforms and is another must have of this season! But I need the red raglan sleeved jacket and white frilly collar as well! Thankfully, this is another one that a smart girl could fashion herself. I also adore his red off the shoulder super oversized jumper worn with satin trousers.
Kinder Aggugini got the military coat so right! Beautifully shaped coats in contrasting colours or with flashes of brightness on the pockets were stunning. There was a simple perfection in his short-sleeved black drapey gown with white stitching that features a hem which puddles on the floor and floats around the model like liquid mercury. Several of his looks were complimented by a shoe boot that echoed Versace’s sandal boots from their NY Show last week although these are a shorter version and in more versatile khaki shades.
Fashion East’s show presented designs by Heikki Salonen, Michael van der Ham and Nasir Mazhar. Heikki gave us leather body-con clothes featuring fishnetting of various sizes while Michael showed his boxy very serious designs but it was Nasir’s patchwork girly dresses that stole the show. I love how his choice of fabric combinations move in and out of sync.
Topshop Unique have outdone themselves this season, heck, they’ve outdone just about everyone! They took the outdoors/wilderness theme and pushed it a few steps further and they didn’t just do this with hairstyling and makeup, although what fun they did have!
Emilio de la Morena showed skirts and dresses with unique folds, pleats and layers reminiscent of art deco architecture but with a space age feel. The folds in his sheer burn-out dresses give them an interesting dimension.
Mark Fast’s skin-tight knits were a winner again this season. I question the decision to put the red dress on the size 16 model but I’m not going to quibble over it. I think his use of normal sized women is just what we need more of. His craftsmanship is outstanding. The camel cape/wrap – stunning!
Mary Katrantzou saved the day from succumbing to an overdose of black and greige with splashes of brilliant colour in her delightful prints and trompe l’oeil effects. I love the use of jewelry that looks like it’s part of the dress.
House of Holland’s show was sorely lacking inspiration. It looked like it was thrown together the night before. Boring and sloppy. You could purchase from your phone while you watched, but why would you want to?
Alexander Wang did the cute braces socks for SS10, now for AW10/11 John Rocha has done kneeless tights! Cute! Most of his pieces are couture quality. All the conical hats put me off a wee bit. Thank god he didn’t use all black though. Nice to see some nude shades.
Ann-Sophie Back’s show had variety but none to suit me I’m afraid. Her tearaway dresses looked like they’d fall apart. Her skirts with oddly placed bunches of organza like vaginal waterfalls was idiotic. Her trousers and blouses which looked like stuffed animals with stuffing coming out of slashes in the fabric were just plain ridiculous.
PPQ, very black. Very boring. Disappointing.
Maria Francesca Pepe’s designs hearken back to the 80’s in ways I just can’t stomach. My eyes have seen so much so far that they've never beheld before, I think I've been spoiled by the originality of other designers.
Danielle Scutt, pics not yet avail.
Louise Gray showed some fun and sporty mixed-media pieces.
Sykes put some neatly folded pleats in their wool and leather mini’s. I love the deconstructed skirt, slashed with studs. They’ve taken the fabric of the blouse and skirt and slashed it horizontally then reattached it atop mesh. The look is fabulous and sharp. Their clean-cut jackets had inverted lapels and teamed nicely with their plain front shorts. I’m thrilled they used older models and the outfits they put them in were flattering and fresh.
I fell in love with Holly Fulton’s deco-inspired architectural graphic prints last SS and I’m so happy that she hasn’t yet exhausted the theme. Love the clothes, the shoes, the jewelry, the simple makeup and red lipstick, I love it all!
Betty Jackson has made the high heeled clog more wearable by putting an ankle strap on it to make it more secure. As in other shows, gold was big here too. But Betty threw in some florals to cheer us up a bit.
Richard Nicoll brought out the luscious velvets and sexy lines on gorgeous trousers with origami folds, bodices with a corset feel using rich navy satin and the clever teaming of knitwear with chiffon. His one shouldered blazer-deconstructed though, I just don’t know what to say.
Margaret Howell worked the land girl look. It was cute but nothing new although the cropped black jumper is on my wish list.
Jasper Conran gave us some much needed punch with his bright tangerine, red and electric blue pieces. My fave: the knee-length tangerine blouson dress with cape sleeves and deep front slit. Very sexy, very 1980’s Halston.
Matthew Williamson was a bit more shy than usual. I loved the fox collar though. The sequin dresses looked bulky and made the models’ bodies look squared-off. Like Emilio de la Morena, Williamson has employed lapel-like architectural folds and he has also replicated the Grecian folds and twists seen at Burberry’s SS10 collection. I expected more originality from him.
Todd Lynn brought us the shoulder pad redefined in leather shoulder shields. He used fox this season as well, lovely around the collar of a leather vest and to stunning effect when covering the sharp shoulders and sleeves of another jacket although the men’s sleeveless fox coat looks more like a yeti than a fashion statement. He uniquely constructed strips of woven leather to make up another jacket and a shoulder shield design. Not sure if shoulder shield is the right term, they’re a bit bolero, a bit shoulder cape with sleeves.
Louise Goldin showed off her talent for creating structure in her designs that is at once futuristic, wearable, flattering, and lovely to look at. I loved the form in her designs and the flippy bits at the hems of her long dresses appeal to my sense of whimsy as well. They fly every which way when you walk and say, hey, this is me in my dress, ain’t it grand, now get out of my way! There were only a couple of pieces from her collection that I thought went overboard and I would have liked to see more colour, but that’s my complaint with just about everyone this season. Why is winter always so much about black?
Julien Macdonald used spiderweb black lace to beautiful effect.
Meadham Kirshhoff injected some colour in his show, piling on funky bangles and flashing the occasional sequined appliqué. The playful crowns were a fun touch as well. The lace veils were too much though and hid the dresses from view. The cropped boiled wool jacket in candy pink was dreamy and would look great for Spring too.
Aquascutum created some gorgeously tailored jackets and coats cinched with skinny leather belts. Lovely.
Vivienne, I love you. You still surprise and your talent astounds. Every piece a gem! This is one of your best shows ever darling!
Central Saint Martins’ show reminded me why I love British fashion. I may not find these pieces exactly wearable but they are certainly inspirational and not a dull black dress in the bunch.
Emma Cook, pics not yet avail.
Clements Ribeiro put pretty embellishments on most everything: shoes, boots, coats and jumpers. The jacquard and heavy brocade pieces were instant classics.
Eley Kishimoto showed some interesting prints but the cuts were ill-conceived and poorly executed.
Cooperative Designs, pics not yet avail.
Mulberry’s clean cut drainpipe trousers, fluffy cropped jacket, mulberry shades, and yellow boots were stars of the day.
Future Classics showed some very feminine designs, floaty dresses and tunics, teamed with cute buttoned leggings. Must have outfit: camel hooded cardi over knit tie-waist pocket dress with those adorable button-up leggings.
Twenty8Twelve, pics not yet avail.
Nicole Farhi, boring, shapeless. Belongs in NY not London.
Antonio Berardi made me rethink allowing shoulder pads to have one more season. His sexy workwear impressed although the skirts that were too tight to walk in needed more work on the drawing board. His final piece was a red velvet gown with a nude inset in the back encrusted with crystals. The effect was mesmerising.
Osman started his show with variations on the Grecian little black dress and then moved through an elegant collection in greys highlighted with occasional spurts of pink and blue. The griege leather empire-waist dress with bell hem teamed with OTK suede boots and Osman’s take on the Mounty hat is one of the best looks of the season.
I knew Christopher Kane’s show would be good, but I am truly weak in the knees. The theme is Eastern European folk from the tie-up dancing shoes to the folk art adorning patent garments. I must see these up close before I can write fully on this show. I am enchanted.
Roksanda Ilincic’s show was polished and glamorous. Power dressing and 1940’s Hollywood style.
Erdem
Jaeger
Marios Schwab
Paul Smith
Pringle
Ashish
Peter Pilotto
Basso & Brooke’s show finished just minutes ago and I have been left speechless. Their seaming, impeccable; the prints, couldn’t be more gorgeous; choice of fabrics, perfect. Beautiful necklines, stunning use of fox collars and cowl necks as head scarves. Well done, boys!
Amanda Wakeley’s show gave us another gem of the season: the cape dress!!! She did it with camel moleskin and wow, I want one now! Patti Smith sang, ‘in my Blakean year,’ and the models did have an appearance akin to Blake’s angelic females and with their slightly tousled long locks and wearing shimmery satin or floaty jersey, looked like they’d stepped right out of a painting. The cape was the prominent feature in this show but a couple of other items really stood out, like the solar-system print chiffon jumpsuit and the hooded leather shift dress. I was glad to see more fox collars and more nude coloured evening wear. Loved the arm cuffs.
Burberry Prorsum’s high glamour show was a stunner. Christopher Bailey has proven once again he is well deserving of his position. Autumn/Winter shows are when BP gets to show off its bread and butter range and although it can often be a tad staid, this year I was wowed by original and show-stopping designs. There was a lot of shearling on show and fake fur as well as cow hide used to lovely effect as a boxy car-coat. There was even a smidgeon of this years’ seemingly obligatory fox. Collars were focal points. Leather buckles and straps added to the hunting lodge feel of dense shearling coats. Cropped shapes crept in too and there were more than one perfect little jacket to wear over frilly feminine dresses. We saw a hint of a remnant of BP’s brilliant SS10 dress designs in this season’s offerings and they were very lovely pieces but it was obvious this show was all about the coat.
More to come…
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