Bolshie AKA Baby-Leg Girl, seek abortion by Antonia Parker.
Over at Fashion Scout there is yet another array of amazing new designers to trawl through. As I entered the upstairs room at the Freemasons’ Hall I was greeted by a girl with plastic roast chickens attached to her breasts and fanny. Perfect for Lady Gaga.
All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Bolshie
Those chickens, approved that spike-encrusted big-shouldered body suit, the top knot, the headless doll on a chain: something was ringing a very big bell. And it wasn’t the giant gold glittery Big Ben headpiece in the corner. I turned around and went “oh, it’s you!”
For it was none other than Baby-Leg Girl. Bolshie is 18 year old Rhiannon Jones, thrown out of her East Yorkshire school at the tender age of 15 years old and now residing in fashion centrale, Shoreditch.
Bolshie by Antonia Parker.
We noticed her everywhere last season, usually to be found obscuring our view with giant shoulders and hair – little did we realise that this daring and very ambitious fashionista has got her very own label a spot at Fashion Scout. She’s even made it onto the local BBC news. Now there’s two fingers up at her old school eh?
The collection is a massive mashup of contemporary culture, full of passionate bravado. Think Mickey Mouse ears on a police helmet, guns, watch-encrusted glittery jackets, a print that appears to feature Coca-Cola baby bottles and of course the odd Baby-Leg adornment. I wonder if she ever reads Super Super? You can see her entire collection here. Keep a beady eye on this one. She’s still only a teenager for gawd’s sake.
James Hock
This is the third season for the ex-accountant from Australia. But that’s about all I know about James Hock, since his website is ridiculously economical with any biographical information. The Unloved is a bold and playful collection of entirely black and red garments, based on an emotional journey. “It is sadness with a flickering of hope but ultimately, it is about the acceptance of fate.” So says the press release. Sheer fabrics are adorned with Swarovski crystals and juxtaposed against huge asymmetrical harlequin shapes cut across pantaloons, mini crinolines, sharp-shouldered capes and hybrid trouser-shorts. Audacious and definitely not for the faint hearted, he is currently stocked in uber trendy shop Machine-A.
James Hock by Lisa Stannard.
Kirsty Ward
Kirsty Ward graduated from Central Saint Martins MA in 2008 since when she has been working with Alberta Ferretti in Italy. S/S 2011 saw the launch of her own label at Fashion Scout but I remember well how astonished I was by her jewellery for David Longshaw last season. Her own collection features amazing sculptural creations that echo the lines of the body in sheer pastel panels shaped with exaggerated wire and piping. Many pieces have integral jewellery or are meant to be worn with her huge wire and crystal bead necklaces in shades of pale peach and mint green.
She was wearing an earring necklace when I met her: dangling earrings that connect under the chin. I’d personally be incredibly worried about pulling my earlobes off if I wore this creation, but she rocked the look with admirable confidence. I think a bit of upcycling could definitely fit into her aesthetic and I did nonchalantly suggest that she could use some old wire coat hangers… Definitely a new designer to keep a firm eye on.
Kirsty Ward by Felice Perkins.
Yong
Special mention goes to Yong, who studied at Edinburgh College of Art and Design before passing through the hallowed years of an MA at Central Saint Martins. He makes clever and elegant dresses, advised by my old friend Jason Leung.
Jason Leung.
I particularly liked the royal blue dress with amazing white ruffled embroidery, but I think I need to see more of these dresses worn to really appreciate them. In fact I’d like to see all of these designers on the catwalk. Here’s hoping…
Categories ,Alberta Ferretti, ,Antonia Parker, ,Baby-leg girl, ,Bolshie, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Fashion Scout, ,Felice Perkins, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,James Hock, ,Jason Leung, ,Kirsty Ward, ,Lady Gaga, ,Lisa Stannard, ,Machine-A, ,Rhiannon Jones, ,Super Super, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout, ,Yong
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