Illustration by June Chanpoomidole
To those of you that have been to any of the Start boutiques in Shoreditch you’ll know they represent a relaxed luxury that more than compliments the clothes. This is most true for the mens formalwear boutique. I love it and could quiet happily spend hours in there. So when I saw that the Mr Start presentation was being held in One Aldwych I was very excited. Having graced the lobby bar with my presence on at least one occasion to sip their very tasty cocktails, here I couldn’t think of a more suitable venue. Sadly we were shuffled downstairs to a tiny and ill-lit room. Pleased we’d arrived early to avoid the mounting queues, more about myself and Matt surveyed the clothes.
Illustration by Joana Faria
Thankfully the collection more than made up for the choice of venue, website like this as did the dynamicism of Mr Start himself, and the lovely Brix Smith Start. Seeing people passionate about what they do never fails to lift my spirits. Despite living my life in jeans, I have a love of all things formal. I long for the day that dress down Fridays are a thing of the past; I’m just too lazy to do it myself. Very hypocritical, you might say. Suits, jackets and ties are almost always appropriate attire, however, they often take more consideration and thought than I am capable of bleary eyed at 7am on workday morning.
All photography by Matt Bramford
This collection would inspire me to rise just that little bit earlier and make just a bit more effort. Mixing heritage fabrics such as Harris Tweeds with a modern cut, the collection worked really well. The colours chosen also lifted this collection from being too stayed; crushed grape and turquoise green statement jackets provided a subtle lift to everything. But we weren’t just treated to suits, elegantly tailored shirts in a variety of collar shapes were also a sight to behold. A clean colour palette of white, black and grey, the shirts complimented the suiting without overpowering it; my favourite being a smaller but starkly cutaway collar. I’d say understated luxury for those in the know was a common theme of the whole collection but the deep velvet suit and dinner jackets were far from understated.
Illustration by Maria Papadimitriou
Another great piece was the double breasted cropped peacoat. We’ve seen these on every boy band and All Saints clone in the past few seasons, but there was still something fresh about this piece. Mr Start’s accessories were equally strong with many of the fashion pack gushing over the suede brogues and loafers. They have a definite place on my wishlist, but I fear no amount of scotchguarding will protect them from my clumsy ways.
In store this collection will shine even brighter than it did during the presentation, and leaving the store dressed head to toe in Mr Start will be a feat of inordinate self control. It’s just a shame the lighting and crowding let things down a little. Here’s looking forward to next seasons presentation, and a quick/expensive trip to Shoreditch in the meantime.
See more from June Chanpoomidole and Joana Faria in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration!
Illustration by June Chanpoomidole
To those of you that have been to any of the Start boutiques in Shoreditch you’ll know they represent a relaxed luxury that more than compliments the clothes. This is most true for the mens formalwear boutique. I love it and could quiet happily spend hours in there. So when I saw that the Mr Start presentation was being held in One Aldwych I was very excited. Having graced the lobby bar with my presence on at least one occasion to sip their very tasty cocktails, web I couldn’t think of a more suitable venue. Sadly we were shuffled downstairs to a tiny and ill-lit room. Pleased we’d arrived early to avoid the mounting queues, myself and Matt surveyed the clothes.
Illustration by Joana Faria
Thankfully the collection more than made up for the choice of venue, as did the dynamicism of Mr Start himself, and the lovely Brix Smith Start. Seeing people passionate about what they do never fails to lift my spirits. Despite living my life in jeans, I have a love of all things formal. I long for the day that dress down Fridays are a thing of the past; I’m just too lazy to do it myself. Very hypocritical, you might say. Suits, jackets and ties are almost always appropriate attire, however, they often take more consideration and thought than I am capable of bleary eyed at 7am on workday morning.
All photography by Matt Bramford
This collection would inspire me to rise just that little bit earlier and make just a bit more effort. Mixing heritage fabrics such as Harris Tweeds with a modern cut, the collection worked really well. The colours chosen also lifted this collection from being too stayed; crushed grape and turquoise green statement jackets provided a subtle lift to everything. But we weren’t just treated to suits, elegantly tailored shirts in a variety of collar shapes were also a sight to behold. A clean colour palette of white, black and grey, the shirts complimented the suiting without overpowering it; my favourite being a smaller but starkly cutaway collar. I’d say understated luxury for those in the know was a common theme of the whole collection but the deep velvet suit and dinner jackets were far from understated.
Illustration by Maria Papadimitriou
Another great piece was the double breasted cropped peacoat. We’ve seen these on every boy band and All Saints clone in the past few seasons, but there was still something fresh about this piece. Mr Start’s accessories were equally strong with many of the fashion pack gushing over the suede brogues and loafers. They have a definite place on my wishlist, but I fear no amount of scotchguarding will protect them from my clumsy ways.
In store this collection will shine even brighter than it did during the presentation, and leaving the store dressed head to toe in Mr Start will be a feat of inordinate self control. It’s just a shame the lighting and crowding let things down a little. Here’s looking forward to next seasons presentation, and a quick/expensive trip to Shoreditch in the meantime.
See more from June Chanpoomidole and Joana Faria in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration!
Emilio de la Morena A/W 2011 by Sandra Contreras.
Emilio de la Morena really took this season’s colour to heart, more about and then some. His sleekly elegant aesthetic was emphasised by models with loosely scraped back long hair and tomato red lips, their svelte calves encased in mid length dresses with a slight lingerie flavour in the tight ridging, dangling ribbons and sheer panels – proof that sexy doesn’t have to mean revealing. Each individual panel was painstakingly stitched together to create a grid-like design, sometimes bordered with spaghetti thin leather tubing, and then with tiny beads.
Emilio de la Morena by Lisa Stannard.
Emilio de la Morena A/W 2011 by Joana Faria.
Delightful reds and orange were counter-balanced with the introduction of pale pink, ivory and plum. Swirling zig-zag ribbon details appeared in organza bib panels that layered over calf length skirts. Severe black wool suits were broken with bands of silvery lurex and metallic red threads. Shoes by Charlotte Olympia were particularly delicious: suede platforms tied tightly with silky ribbons, very high and very red.
Emilio de la Morena by Lisa Stannard.
Emilio de la Morena by Lisa Stannard.
Emilio de la Morena A/W 2011 by Sandra Contreras.
The collection was partly inspired by the tragic photos of Francesca Woodman, who killed herself at the age of 22, but also by the stoic elegance of Victorian ladies on film, which was most revealed in the necks, which were almost ubiquitously high and ruffled.
Emilio de la Morena A/W 2011 by Joana Faria.
I profiled Emilio de la Morena in issue 08 of Amelia’s Magazine (still available here) many years ago, and this collection reminded me exactly why I had been attracted to him in the first place: he makes beautiful, sexy and wearable clothes with an elegant hand-crafted twist. This was an absolutely stunning collection. If only I were tall and graceful enough to wear such creations myself.
Emilio de la Morena LFW A/W 2011. All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Emilio de la Morena by Sandra Contreras.
You can see more of Lisa Stannard and Joana Faria’s illustrations in Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion, and read Helen Martin’s rather more eloquent review of this show here.
Categories ,ACOFI, ,Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration, ,BFC, ,Charlotte Olympia, ,Emilio de la Morena, ,Joana Faria, ,Lisa Stannard, ,Red, ,Sandra Contreras, ,Somerset House, ,Victoriana
Similar Posts:
- Emilio de La Morena: London Fashion Week A/W 2012 Catwalk Review
- London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Emilio de la Morena (by Helen)
- London Fashion Week A/W 2011 Catwalk Review: Fyodor Golan (by Amelia)
- London Fashion Week: Poltock & Walsh/Emilio de la Morena
- Amelia’s Compendium of Fashion Illustration launch party illustrations: meet Joana Faria