London Fashion Week saves a friendship...and also showcases some great clothes!
Now I don't mean to alarm you, but the strong bond of friendship that Varsh and I share nearly came to an end. Here's a snippet of dialogue to show you why:
Me: I want to cover NY Fashion Week!
Varsh: NO! I DO!
Me: NO! I DO!
Varsh: NO! I DO!
etc etc.
Thankfully London Fashion Week saved the day. Varsh got New York, I got London. It was a win-win situation.
Apart from saving your FAVOURITE dynamic duo, London Fashion Week also showcased some pretty amazing designers, many of whom I hadn't actually heard of before. Let's take a looksie:
Felder Felder:
Felder Felder put on a great show on Day 1, with a theme that was centralised on 'pairing opposites'. They took delicate fabrics and bright colours and paired them with the edginess of leather embellishments. Nice.
Sass & Bide:
The Sass & Bide show was pretty great. GO AUSTRALIA!
Okay, patriotism aside, I've got to be professional. It felt like there was a little too much going on. Firstly there was the whole orange and blue colour blocking thing which I loved. Then there was the whole white thing, which I also thought was a pretty amazing (that white one-shoulder dress is so beautiful!).
AND THEN, there was also the whole polka dot thing which was...well for lack of a better word...ugly:
I felt like there were just a few too many things going on, but regardless, there were definitely some wonderful pieces. I would be more than happy to get married in that white one shoulder dress! WHOO GO AUSTRALIA!
Basso & Brooke:
Basso & Brooke are just amazing. Seriously, those prints. I could die. There was a bit of a floral theme running through LFW, you'll see what I mean.
PPQ:
I hadn't actually heard of PPQ before writing this post but now I'm so glad I have found them! That printed dress is pretty stunning and the whole show just had a really polished quality to it.
On a side note, everytime I see the name 'PPQ', my mind automatically jumps to BBQs. I guess it's the Aussie in me!
Caroline Charles:
Caroline Charles is such a posh name, don't you think? I felt like I knew what the collection was going to look like before I'd even seen it! It was pretty nice, as I was expecting, but a bit of a snooze fest in some parts. The hats were very cute though!
Ashish:
Oh Ashish. One of my favourites. There's this unabashed flamboyance in Ashish's work. Just amazing. I love how he has taken the traditional floral prints and made them edgy by marrying them against a black background. I also love how the models have flowers in their boots, too cute!
Julien Macdonald:
Uh wowza.
This show was really cool but also kind of intimidating. I can only dream of the day when I will be cool enough to pull off such clothes.
Daks:
Oh la la, very nice! This show had a nice 'clean' feel to it, if you know what I mean. Clean lines, paired with the freshness of white and simple silhouettes. Understated but very chic.
House of Holland:
This show had a very distinct barnyard theme to it. Apparently farms are not only useful for entertaining small children, they also have a place in fashion week. I'm not really too sure about this show. I mean, who exactly is their target audience? As much as I love colour blocking, the purple and pink pastal combo is a little childish.
Emilio de la Morena:
Emilio de la Morena managed to make use of blue and yellow together without being reminiscent of Bananas in Pyjamas in any way, which is harder than it sounds.
Haha, those two crack me up.
Jaegar London:
Oh I LOVED this show!! There was something so wonderful about it that I can't quite put my finger on. It was so hard to pick my favourite pieces from their collection but that rainbow striped dress...oh my goodness. I think if that dress was in my wardrobe, the world would be a better place.
Issa London:
Oh Issa. Fashion Musings fell in love with you ever since Kate Middleton wore that gorgeous Issa midnight blue dress on the engagement announcement day:
I loved the blue dresses at the Issa show, especially the icy blue shift dress with the scalloped neckline. Too pretty! I can totally picture the Duchess (or myself...hint, hint!) wearing that dress!
Richard Nicoll:
Richard Nicoll obviously is a fan of blue too. I love that blue shift dress so much!! And don't be alarmed, the model with the phone isn't being rude... she's carrying a phone because Nicoll has some partnership with Vodafone where customers get exclusive access to the fashion industry. I'm not quite sure what that includes exactly but it sounds great. OH DAMN, I'M WITH 3!!
Holly Fulton:
There seem to be a lot of shift dresses, which is great because they are pretty comfy. Holly Fulton put on a pretty great show with a very beachy theme. Too cute! Time for some fun in the sun? I think so.
Matthew Williamson:
Matthew Williamson is one of my favourite designers. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of sequined mini dresses because his sequined mini dresses are the stuff of magic. Still, great show. Matthew Williamson - I LOVE YOU.
To see more Matthew Williamson magic: http://www.net-a-porter.com/Shop/Designers/Matthew_Williamson/All?viewall=on
Peter Pilotto:
Oh my goodness! MY FAVOURITE SHOW! Those prints... those cuts...so innovative yet not to the point of craziness. I am in love.
Erdem:
Erdem is also one of Kate Middleton's favourites and we can see why. I can totally imagine her in those dresses.
Christopher Kane:
This collection was very funky. Although, I'm not quite sure why the models walking down the runway in what appeared to be my grandfather's bedroom slippers. Christopher Kane, if you're reading this. my grandpa would like his slippers back.
Seriously, shoes like that have no place in London Fashion Week.
Antonio Berardi:
What an amazing show! The sequins! The drama! It was like an episode of Gossip Girl!
Michael van der Ham:
Colour blocking again! Looks like this is one trend that plans on sticking around until the end of time. Last season, it was all about pinks and oranges but it looks like blue and yellow are the latest happy couple.
Pringle of Scotland:
That print! Oh it is amazing! I would be happy to have that print tattooed on my face. Okay, that is a bit of an exaggeration but still, it is very nice.
Burberry Prorsum:
The Burberry Prorsum show was quite innovative, although some of the clothes looked more wintery than spring-summery. Oh well, we still saw some really unique shades of green and blue that I'm sure will become quite prominent this season.
Temperley London:
The Temperley show was pretty great but people spent less time talking about what they saw on the runway and more time talking about who was beside the runway (ahem, Pippa Middleton).
Whoah she looks a lot like Kate in that photo. Anyhoo, people were complaining that her dress was inappropriately short and blah blah. Whatevs, it's not like she's the Duchess, right? The dress is pretty funky and I'm pretty sure siblings of royalty should be allowed to wear whatever they want.
Roksanda Ilinic:
I loved the colours more than anything else in this show. The teal, the fuschia, the mustard - we saw some pretty unique shades which I'm sure will pop up in stores now. Take your pick ladies, take your pick.
Mary Katrantzou:
Mary Katrantzou is always really exciting. Her prints are practically iconic even though her brand is relatively new. She followed through with the floral theme and even had a bed of lovely flowers placed on the runway. What a clever cookie.
She is emerging as a powerful player in the fashion industry, so it's a good idea to get to know her name. If you're having trouble remembering her surname think of it like this:
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I'm just so helpful, aren't I? Hehe.
Osman:
Who knew khaki could actually look good?! And that pink dress is just so pretty! I LOVE PINK.
Meadham Kirchhoff:
Oh my. You know that you're a bit of an attention seeker when there are EYES on your cardigan.
The models looked like life-sized rag dolls. An interesting concept but would I wear the pieces? Probably not...although I am probably just jealous because my cardigans don't have eyes. NOTE TO SELF: Get a cardigan that can watch over me and keep me safe.
Aminaka Wilmont:
Oh I loved this show so much. Words cannot express. Actually, they can. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. Aside from some pretty amazing prints, Wilmont also made use of cut-outs in an innovative way. I mean, we have seen like a million cut-out dresses but something about the shape and positioning of these cut-outs is unique. Props to you, Wilmont!
However, London Fashion Week - I have a bone to pick with you. Yes, I'm aware that London Fashion Week is not a person and therefore it is not possible to pick bones. Anyhoo, there were a number of lovely recurring trends at LFW, like floral prints, blue+orange colourblocking. BUT ONE TREND WAS TRULY DISTURBING:
Now I don't mean to sound like a prude but EWW PUT YOUR LADY BITS AWAY!
Seriously, I understand what the designers were trying to do but there's nothing avant garde about this - it's just kind of gross. Whatever happened to class?
Well aside from that, LFW was pretty magical. Nonetheless, I think I have Fashion Week fatigue! I am so tired! Time for a nap? I think so.
Naww, too cute.
- Jes
PS. I wonder who will cover Milan Fashion Week?! =P
