On Sunday I attended my first ever Dans La Vie show with very little idea of what to expect, price but hey, viagra 100mg the invitation was a colourful mashup of imagery and in my book that’s generally a good sign. Dans La Vie is diminutive Japanese designer Rira Sugawara and began life in 1999 as a print collection, clearly her first love. Since 2005 she has been presenting a full clothing collection in Paris, Milan and Berlin – now it’s our turn in London.
This seasons collection was titled My Pop Madonna (Clash Beauty), and her four signature print designs were inspired and sent down the catwalk to music by four iconic female musicians: Madonna (of course), Rihanna, Lady Gaga and the late lamented Amy Winehouse. According to the press release My Pop Madonna (Clash Beauty) was also a response to Rira Sugawara‘s feelings in the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake: it wasn’t exactly clear how these two seemingly unrelated strands of inspiration were intertwined, but the results were fun and refreshingly different.
Rira Sugawara‘s Dan La Vie label specialises in a kind of glossy collaged look, which was manifested in the very first outfit to hit the catwalk: it featured a striking all over matching print on the blouse and a matching full shiny skirt that looked fit for the wettest of days. The collaged design included all sorts of intriguing elements: a Madonna face and florals mashed up into a striped pattern reminiscent of shifting ground. A cute shorts and blouse ensemble was followed by a wide belted trench that seemed more befitting of the patent fabric and was one of my favourite elements of this collection.
A giant floral print entwined with floating cherubs featured on more separates and this was then followed by a powerful pink roses and hearts combo that spread to holdalls and clutch bags. The collection then switched towards the biggest collage design yet, featuring apples, daffodils and what looked like skyscrapers. This was accompanied by some unfortunate pastel lips and then for some inexplicable reason a model appeared with her tits poking out of an otherwise demure beige blouse. Aside from these strange styling decisions there were lots of fun elements to the My Pop Madonna collection, and many of the Dans La Vie separates could easily find a place in the wardrobe of someone with a bold and colourful aesthetic.
Dans La Vie S/S 2012. All photography by Amelia Gregory.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday September 26th, 2011 12:37 pm
Korean born J. JS Lee (first J for Jackie) hosted a salon show on the sunny Sunday morning of fashion week in the Portico Rooms at Somerset House. Central Saint Martins alumni, Jackie graduated with an MA in womenswear only last year and has since received the Harrods Award accolade.
We were seated on the infamous white benches that had caused outrage at JW Anderson‘s show the previous day, when front row fashionistas stood up at the end of his presentation to find their arses covered in white paint that hadn’t had time to dry. Oops. How awful. I did a quick hand test to make sure the same wasn’t going to happen to my jeans. I took a seat right next to the photographer’s ‘pit’ – sparse in comparison to most of the shows. A lady stood so close to me in the pit that I almost offered her the chance to sit in my lap, but thought better of it. It turned out she would be a rather dominant creature, and had a flashbulb the size of my head which made it almost impossible to take pictures myself, the lighting changing so dramatically with every shot. Cheers then!
This was a simple, sophisticated show with clean lines and infinitely wearable pieces. Jackie had drawn inspiration from the 1920s, creating elongated silhouettes with jackets and dresses that were a straight-up-and-down fashion, adding an element of androgyny. The collection launched with crisp all-white pieces, progressing into a cool peach and a rich cobalt blue, breaking up this presentation nicely.
Real care and attention had been invested in the materials – strong cottons were teamed with high-gloss elements and embossed features, giving a strong futuristic aesthetic. The firmness of the fabrics allowed them to be folded like origami, adding a further contemporary element.
While this wasn’t mind-blowing, it was refreshing to see such a considered collection. Beautiful choices in both colour and materials suggest a fashionable future for J. JS Lee.
Watch the full show here:
Written by Matt Bramford on Tuesday September 20th, 2011 8:20 am
Oof, visit this site I love a new fashion week site. I took a Boris from the action at Somerset House all the way to Old Street to see Jayne Pierson‘s show at the LSO St Luke’s venue. This historic Anglican church is almost three hundred years old, buy information pills and was rescued by the LSO when controversial plans to turn the beauty into offices were proposed. Thank heavens.
The church is set in a beautiful garden, and as I sweated my way through it, I thought what a romantic setting for a fashion show. These are thoughts I only have when suffering from sleep deprivation and RFSI (Repetitive Fashion Show Injury). Inside, some of the former glory has gone to make way for inevitable modernisations, but the imposing ceiling and cold stone walls still exist. A catwalk had been temporarily constructed where the aisle would once have been, and a film played on loop at the end of a photography shoot starring a rather dishy ballet dancer. It was all very exciting.
Photography by Amelia Gregory
The show eventually started after the mandatory bunfight for seats and flashbulb shower for Pandemonia. A man whose name I didn’t have a chance to write down explained that, this season, Jayne Pierson had worked with the ballet and we were in for a treat. The models were to be ballet dancers. I almost audibly ‘whooped’ at how refreshing it all was.
Jayne Pierson S/S 2012, illustrated by Gabriel Ayala
Models appeared cheekily from behind a partition, moving gracefully down the catwalk en pointe. I know this is one of life’s wonders and people train for years to get this right, but it doesn’t half make me cringe (perhaps that’s Black Swan‘s influence, too). I imagine the agony you put your body through to achieve such a graceful poise.
A mixture of male and female models appeared, wearing Jayne Piersons S/S 2012 collection. This was clearly a collection influenced by dance and drama of all kind. They floated past, some faster than others, some acting a little like they might have been drinking, but nonetheless looking equally as beautiful. The theatrics, as splendid as they were, did distract a little from the clothes, and it’s only since I’ve reviewed my pictures that I’ve got a real flavour for what Jayne Pierson has produced this season.
Jayne Pierson‘s now statement shapes flooded the catwalk; exaggerated shoulders, tight waists. Corsets in high-gloss leather were playfully applied to looser garments in similar colours. Micro shorts were leather. A muted graphic print was used on a dangerous bikini and a halterneck onesie. Modest pastel vests had been sexed up with black pom-pom like shoulder details. A bodycon dress carried theatrical orange fringing; sophistication, glamour and exquisite craftsmanship evident in every piece.
Jayne Pierson‘s clever use of material and colour was as evident as it has been during her five fashion week outings. Leathers, suedes and silks all flow organically throughout this cohesive collection, helped along by a colour palette of stone, taupe, grey, champagne and sand.
Photography by Amelia Gregory
I’m not sure if it was the Royal Ballet dancing element having an influence, but the clothes were very dramatic, and I did wonder what they might look like modelled in the usual fashion. But a finale that brought the dancers pairing up to perform some dramatic lifts really raised eyebrows and audible gasps echoed around St Luke’s. Sitting across from me, it was clear Caryn Franklin loved it. And I did too.
Mark Fast is a designer that sticks in peoples minds for a multitude of reasons. For some it’s his way of turning knitwear into an art form, viagra for others it’s how he creates some of the most recognisable figure-hugging yet conceptual dresses out there or his revolutionary steps in technique. Amelia herself is a massive knitwear fan, and raved about his work with merino wool in her review of Mark Fast‘s A/W 2011 collection at London Fashion Week. For me, it all started when I met a very funny and gently spoken fashion student who was creating knitwear for womenswear designer Bora Aksu back in 2006.
Since then, Mark has rocked some headlines with his catwalk shows; causing a fashion stir for his use of plus-sized and curvier models such as Crystal Renn and Hayley Morley consistently each season (his first use of plus-sized models allegedly causing members of his team to walk out). At the time, I remember a sudden explosion of people talking about Fast, even friends who never ‘got’ fashion week before knew his name. There are countless designers who create figure-hugging sartorial magic on the catwalk, but a distance is created when you realise that normal women come in all different shapes and sizes, which stops me from seeing a fantastically chic friend or myself in the clothes. I can always appreciate the raw beauty and skill involved in a good catwalk show, as you’d admire a work of art; but don’t always see it as something accessible for this reason. Mark blew all of this out of the water by proving that his knitted dresses could also hug the curve of real hips and flatter the roundness of a fuller bust.
I lined up for the show with endless other fashion editors and buyers for what looked like was going to be a very packed event. Fashion editor and style magpie Anna Dello Russo fluttered by in a shimmer of current season Prada oversized paillette dress and snakeskin boots, which have an incredible curved heel to them, catching my eye despite of my aversion to real snakeskin. Model Liberty Ross, Tallulah Harlech (daughter of modelling legend Lady Amanda Harlech) and modelling pop songstress Eliza Doolittle were in the front row, with Eliza catching a lot of attention from the paparazzi in a very short (presumably Mark Fast) black dress. I had to smile when she pretended to ignore them but continued posing as she caught up with a friend.
As I was shown to my seat, there were a lot of people running around including a production or show manager yelling ‘showing in 5 MINUTES!’ in my ear as I scurried past. There definitely was something in the air before this show, a palpable heated excitement radiating from every person in the presentation space. Suddenly, the press release I was reading through seemed incredibly apt. The collection was inspired by ‘desert mirages and tropical exoticism’ with colours taken from a desert landscape and the movement of a sandstorm providing a starting point for the clothes. I began to feel hotter, as if all the anticipation had brought the desert heat into the show, making me forget all about the blustery autumn weather outside. I was then asked to shuffle over to make room for a lady who turned out to be a very nice Condé Nast street style photographer. She spotted my pens and sketchbook, poised for drawing, and chatted to me about how enchanting it is to watch Vogue creative director extraordinaire Grace Coddington (who I loved in The September Issue) sketch live at catwalk shows. As we talked illustration and photography, the lights began to dim and a sultry summer track mixed with electro beats began to play.
Orange-tinged lights especially set up for this show around the catwalk began to shine and fade in time with the sharp metallic-sounding music, and then settled to glow intermittently as the first model made her way onto the catwalk. An off the shoulder knitted top and skirt in the lightest possible shade of sand with equally light detailing and undone strands that trailed along the arms of the model as she moved made it out along the catwalk. The photographer next to me sighed a little breath of relief and delight along with most of the room. The pale gold colours made me reminisce over the sunlight you get in the summer, while the 1920s finger-waved and bobbed hair gave the clothes a bit of vintage glamour. The shoes, thanks to Mr Christian Louboutin, brought the look back around to the modern day. T-bar wedges and heels with incredibly huge platforms in gold, pink, black and orange to match the clothes also had little details like spiked studs and rubber straps, which reminded me of jelly shoes.
More dresses in the same colours but with a variety of shapes you would normally associate with formal wear such as a fishtail gown (which the model almost fell over in) and a practically see-through floor-length number came along. Cleverly re-worked in a luxe version of macramé-style knotting, the silhouettes held their structure but had a light, summery softness to them. Sheer finer-knit dresses were placed over golden knitted bikinis, subtly showing off their delicate intricacy.
Although the audience was already clearly wowed by the pale gold creations, several pieces came out that made me hold my breath in amazement. The first was a dress with a structured top and then a signature Mark Fast bottom half completely made out of golden loose strands, which moved like nothing I’ve ever seen in my life. Movement on this scale is hard enough to capture in a garment, let alone getting it to a point where it’s flattering. But the weight and lengths of the string-like strands moved perfectly in harmony with the model, never losing her shape but seemingly dancing around her. It was like Mark had actually gone out and captured a little sandstorm of gold, and then attached it to a dress in the most flattering way possible. The model and the others that followed her with similar garments couldn’t help having a little something extra in the way they walked. I began to fantasize about how it must feel to wear something quite so incredible, and luckily was snapped out of it by what came next.
After some acid-yellow and Lucozade-orange dresses with a similar lightness but no less ‘feminine with an edge’ fabulousness, I got a shock that made me want to elbow the photographer next to me in eagerness (luckily I held back, realising that almost knocking the poor girl off the bench in a rush of excitement wouldn’t be the best thing to do).
At first, I thought I was imagining it, but then I remembered the painterly pattern on my show invite and realised that I was indeed seeing the first bit of print in a Mark Fast show. Printed on neoprene, that wetsuit fabric that fashion houses have been using for a while and love for summer, the pattern circled necklines, sleeves and hemlines, gradually fading out. It was completely unexpected and I love the way Mark just gave print a little try, modestly put it on a few dresses but was obviously proud enough to use it for the invitation.
All in all, the show was very relaxed, sultry, modern and seductive while sporadically a little bit younger than before with the cute baby doll type dresses alongside the dramatic-but-comfortable grown-up gowns. There were some black dresses and two-pieces expertly styled with Linda Farrow sunglasses and jewellery from both Pebble and Renee Lindell (stacks of thick bangles looked perfect for summer) as was the rest of the collection. Quite a few garments were like summer versions of his previous winter collections made from heavier wool. It was almost like someone said ‘well I bet that body-con knitted dress business wouldn’t work in summer’ and Mark replied ‘oh yeah?’ by finding an entirely new and light-as-air way of knitting.
On the way out of the show, the cynic in me thought that were was actually a lot of repetition from previous seasons in the necklines, silhouettes and structured knits. However as hot-footed it to another show, I thought about why I expected there to be something so completely different this time around. I admittedly had high expectations of the show, but it was such a standout collection, and little details like structure and shape created by embroidering shimmering petals of sequins into the knitwear didn’t disappoint. I suddenly thought, what is so wrong with sticking with what you’re good at? Mark has now built up a signature style where so much can be developed from, why should he change drastically each season? The promise of prints and ever-developing strides in knitwear are keeping me interested, and if Mark continues to keep his fans I can see his brand following in the steps of Azzedine Alaïa, who practically invented sexy dressing with a twist through his figure-hugging cut-out womenswear in the 1980s and is still going strong. I was genuinely surprised by what this clever designer delivered, and no doubt will be panting in anticipation for the next season with everyone else.
Play the video and watch the show.
Written by Alia Gargum on Wednesday September 21st, 2011 7:20 pm
Video games aren’t just a boy’s toy, even if all the girls in them seem to end up looking like one. Anne-Sofie Back’s A/W10 collection drew inspiration from her own hours logged in as an unsuccessful stripper in alternative online world “Second Life”. Back, whose inspiration often comes from pop culture and body image issues translated what she saw as a conformity of ideals as most players chose to customize their avatars into “page 3 models and uninspired versions of reality TV contestants”.
Anne-Sofie Back A/W10 Illustration by Katie Harnett
What we got were jeans with the waist cutout topped with super cropped matching jean jackets sprouting gashes of pink and white tulle and cutout bodystockings. Her avatar seems to have been the high street customizing type, a cross between avant garde and russian bride.
In the urban basement of The Flower Cellars, shouting punk music turned pop and the cloudy cement haze was the perfect canvas for Anne-Sofie Back’s typically cool color palette. Colorless greys gave way to lavender leathers in one very wantable boxy cropped motorcycle jacket.
Cutout waistbands and cropped jean tops with tulle. apparently not for everyone, check out the expressions on the faces in the crowd
This is Anne Sofie back’s 5th year showing and the designer was recently appointed creative director of Cheap Monday after taking a year off and moving back to her native Sweden to start a family. Taking cues from hot or not columns and other pop culture fodder Back once sent models down the runway with the black pen markings of cosmetic surgery and others with bulging breast pockets and wrapped in swollen tubes.
Black slashed bodystocking with grey wing armature
But this collection’s body image issue took form as muscle shirts. In devore jersey paired with dyed denim and again in tulle applique tracing abs and pec and often trailing lengths if the gauzy material. The tulle skirts and leggings had some issues with unflattering placement at times with cones of the stuff pouring out of butt cheeks and crotches.
White tulle sprouts from the most unlikely places
There’s an undeniably home made attitude to her collection but where last Fall was helped along with tailored trousers and knit dresses this collection veered into gauzy georgette skirts and cutout body stockings. Only one actual coat came down the runway but in its terry cloth texture, belted volume and eggshell color it had the unfortunate effect of looking like it should be hanging on a peg in the bathroom.
one coat in the collection, although white terry cloth may not have been the best fabric choice
At times her textural melange was truly beautiful. A laddered-effect boucle wool in thunderstorm colors with bits of lurex reappeared several times as did a fantastic jaquard white jumper. A cropped motorcycle jacket in buttery thin matte leather was exceedingly wantable and her signature batwing sleeves were beautifully balanced with a button up georgette shirt.
Gauze shirts with laddering boucle trousers
This may not be a collection whose pieces are immediately absorbed into your closet but Anne Sofie Back’s collections continue to question the dubious world we are slowly creating around us and in moments of inspired design has managed to subvert it into something quite beautiful.
Written by Sabrina Morrison on Sunday February 21st, 2010 4:43 pm
After pegging it down the strand, recipe I arrived at the BFC tent with less than 30 seconds to spare. My desperate dan demeanour must have won me brownie points somewhere as I was ushered into the catwalk seating area so fast my feet barely touched the floor. Expecting the Issa show to begin, imagine my suprise when Basso and Brooke creations started to walk their way down the catwalk…there must have been some awful mistake?…yes, indeed there was Mr Matt Branfrod (who must be reading his timetable upside down last night).
For 9am on a Sunday morning, the turnout was great with barely an empty seat which is not ridiculous considering how well thought out and well executed the show was. To be able to mix so many colours, prints, patterns and styles is such a talent few can boast. I have never trained as a fashion designer but I imagine that there comes a time early in their lives, perhaps as a kid choosing between a pencil and a box of crayolas, when their speciality is set for life. In my view all designers have not so much a signature look as a part of the DNA clothing they excel at: silhouette, colour, print, cut. Some designers can change the way we see the body – I’m thinking of Miuccia Prada –and some fill in the outlines of fashionable shapes with their own individual colour, pattern and texture.
Prints were the order of the day with a slight All Saints feel to some of the ones with italic scripting and antique maps running across. After reading the press release, it turns out that this is actually handwritten notes by Da Vinci, Tolstoy, Balzac and others in a nod to the non digital past. Digital prints are then sliced into the notes and maps, creating more dramatic, edgy mixes. Other prints included trompe l’oeil prints of ruched fabrics, mainly used in larger panels on the back of dresses. I am personally a huge fan of print design (I was a colour-change felttip pen sort of kid), which I think often gets ignored in favour of more flashy, and by definition, flesh-revealing options (anyone designing an elaborately printed bikini has rather missed the point). There’s something depressing about an off-the-shelf pattern you end up seeing on clothes everywhere, from high street shops to market stalls. I want someone to have sat down and designed the images that appear on the surface of clothes with as much care and dedication as they did every other aspect.
Basso and Brooke’s S/S11 show didn’t pioneer any particular dress shape, although all their clothes look wearable: lots of skater-skirted party dresses, a collared blouse and skirt and filmy jumpsuitst. The skirts had great shape and movement to them, especially the shorter kicky ones; the dresses made use of clashing prints on the front and back and thought had also been put into matching shoes to each look. However, what they do to a tee is the print; everyone knows that when you go to their show you’ll get lovingly rendered prints galore. This also means subtle use of colour, and when the models took their turn all together, it added up to a handwritten, map inspired rainbow.
Some of the choices surprised me at first: leopard print? Hermes-scarf style illustrated floral squares? But because they were digitally chopped up with gold foil sections that seemed to creep over the garish parts, or set against a background of pearly grey silk, I think it worked. There is a trend now for mixing up complicated prints, which when it works, looks incredible. One good thing about animal print is that you can’t really beat nature for creating a pleasing whole and by sticking to the silvery sheen of water, brown and rusty orange of animals spots and mineral metallics, there’s a good chance an outfit will hang together, just like Basso and Brooke’s show.
One of the benefits of being in with the Amelia’s crew is the opportunity to be whisked away to a show or two each London Fashion Week. This was the case on Friday night as I tagged along with Matt and Amelia, only to be herded into the surprisingly over subscribed and crowded, yet rather disappointing Kingston MA show at Freemasons Hall. To make amends, I was politely asked (*cough* coerced) to attend the last presentation of the evening – Jayne Pierson. I’m glad I accepted as I was in for a treat.
While the space was, again, full to the rafters with onlookers, I managed a front row seat in this decidedly more intimate On|Off venue. A much more relaxed and civilised mood prevailed as we awaited the show to begin, with many enjoying the refreshments from goody bags available to all (more on this later). To get us in the mood, the presentation was buffered on either side by a Pierson video promo, resplendent with onions, pears, cherries, a melon, and a dead swan. Models-cum-actresses performed such interesting tasks as playing with hosiery, pouring water into glasses and at one point even appeared to eat – and bread at that (think of the carbs!). The Justin Anderson video took cues from Peter Greenaway, which was incredibly fitting as the clothes and models that then appeared could easily find leading roles in a Greenaway masterpiece.
First to be presented were two bell-hop military inspired leather dresses, more than a little naughty, but in a sit up and say yes ma’am kind of way. Form hugging and cut slightly above the knee, both showed in buttery grey leather, with just a hint of lilac for depth. Buttons, trim and tailored accents were highlighted with gold. These set the stage for the luxe appeal of the rest of the show.
Pierson’s signature puff sleeves abounded, finding their way onto bolero jackets, a scrumptious gold pleated high collar blouson and corseted dresses. Fabrications throughout pushed the luxe factor, with bold stripes, textured creams, deep blues and midnight leathers always iridescent and shimmering. To compliment and max these, gold made bold entries and statement pieces, almost always in leather, and with stunning effect. Tailoring was precise, playing between slim and fitted and puffed and extravagant. Dress lengths played around the knee with two gowns falling full length to the ankle. Overall, the feel was baroque meets late 80s-early 90s with a futuristic flair. Not for the faint hearted, but for those with confidence and attitude to match.
I fantasise that the woman Pierson dresses is strong, extravagant, confident in her sexuality and not afraid to play with it more than a little rather knowingly. WLTM!!
And a note on those goody bags – it was great to come away with some goodies for us guys – thank you team Pierson and Elemis. Marvellous.
Written by Gavin Mackie on Sunday September 19th, 2010 8:58 pm
After a terrible morning trying to fix my sodding bike, giving up, taking it to Evans Cycles, regretting that because the employee was an arse and then persuading him to eventually fix it, I cycled precariously to Victoria House with one brake and the other attached with Blu-Tack to catch Simon Ekrelius‘ show. I didn’t know anything of Ekrelius until today but whenever I mentioned his name people would practically fall at my feet (perhaps wishing they were falling at his).
Well, it turns out the hype my small circle of friends had built was deserved. I decided to stand with the macho photographers in the pit this time to experiment with a different angle for images. If only I had known the following three facts.
1. Photographers are nasty
2. I was standing in the front of the world’s loudest speaker
3. Simon Ekrelius had chosen shot gun noises to launch his show.
Imagine my surprise when the crowd were shushed, the lights fell low, and the BANG BANG BANG started up behind me. Jesus Christ. My entire self moved three feet across the room, at which point the whole of the photographer’s pit descended into cackles of laughter. And who can blame them? I was as red as a peach.
As the first model strutted down the catwalk, I desperately tried to pull myself together, which didn’t take too long as the attention was quickly diverted to what the models had on offer. These girls were not shy. They had clearly been directed to march to the front in the normal fashion, but then as they made their way back, to walk in a zig-zag pattern and stop periodically to pose. And pose they did, rather fabulously. It was HILARIOUS, particularly when we got to the nudity part of the show and front rowers were subjected to bare arses in their face…
I should probably say something about the fashion by now. Well, it was grand. Pretty much everything was translucent or transparent in some way, hence the abundance of gratuitous arse and tit. There were some fabulous monochrome numbers inspired by graphic art, which were split directly down the middle or by the use of geometric shapes – this worked best on all-in-one catsuit numbers, which were teamed with huge brimmed hats that had the front row bloggers throwing their cameras in the air in unison.
The use of such shiny materials with oodles of aesthetic appeal made a sometimes basic collection of cropped separates and halter-neck playsuits into a more futuristic one. Exaggarated shoulders and high waistlines were delivered with masculine tailoring, creating a dominative silhouette. Accessorised with blue-rinse hair piled on top of heads, huge sunglasses and coral lips, the styling was superb.
The show continued with more dramatic silhouettes, lots more monochrome (which worked SO well, I have to say) and then it got a little sillier with these transparent numbers I was speaking of. I mean, they were actually amazing in terms of conception and craftsmanship, but nobody’s going to leave the house like that, are they? That would be arrestable, surely? I bet they’d look great with a modest vest or something underneath. I’d imagine. But all that flesh was a little too much for me (thank god I hadn’t taken my allocated seat on the front row, or I might have ended up with an arse in my face like so many onlookers.)
All in all, though, a fab outing for Mr Ekrelius. Less tit next time, please. Right, next up, Charlie le Mindu and those vaginas. Good heavens.
All photography by Matt Bramford
Written by Matt Bramford on Sunday September 19th, 2010 7:54 pm
It was Day 1 at Somerset House and I was surrounded by all those fashion bigwigs at Caroline Charles; sure to have just flown in first-class from the closing New York Fashion Week and before that whichever glamorous corner of the Earth they resided. The BFC Catwalk space, page therefore, kicked off with a sure-fire reminder of where we were; London. Just in case anyone forgot.
??It was all about the classic, home-comfort elements of good-old British style. You had your checks, your lace, your chiffon, your wool winter coats that your mother forced you in when you were young and now just can’t get out of.??
Most garments were intrinsically minimalistic. There was very little print. The fabric palette didn’t stretch too far and no real attempt towards a-symmetric cuts or daring features was made. Despite such profuse amounts of plain-Jane style, however, a subtle sexiness arose from those full-sequined dresses in bright red and sultry black as well as the odd combination of tiger and leopard print. It was bad taste turned classy.??
The collection’s silhouette held a strong focus on the waist with delicate belts cinching-in wool shift dresses and chiffon floaty creations. There was a barely a bold moment throughout the entire show but one thing was for sure: everything had style.
Furthermore (as has been featured countless times this season), bows were a primary focus for Charles. She placed them on bowler hats, made them out of black ribbon tied around the neck and pulled them round to the rear of high-waisted trousers.
Some of the combinations of textures, however, were a little iffy for me. Black leather pencil skirts with brown lady-like jackets? It just didn’t click. I also wasn’t keen on the injection of equestrian riding hats and low pony-tails. It was oh-so-boring and that kind of look, for me anyway, completely lacks any sort of style or attitude. Perhaps a ploy made my yet-another designer to turn the head of Kate Middleton as the Royal Wedding approaches? Maybe so.
Photographs by Georgia Takacs
Amidst the elegant and some-what calming classical music, however, I was agitated by lady-with-hideous-hat who was inconveniently featured in most of my photographs. There was a bit of a frenzy around her and THE HAT after the show. I couldn’t begin to understand why and marched past indifferent and utterly confused.??
All in all, a largely predictable and collection from a classic London dress-maker. It’s endearing, however, to see a leading designer of 47 years to continue delivering a fail-safe iconic style which will forever be appreciated. And with so much sophisticated femininity around this Autumn/Winter season, it certainly set the scene for what was to come and offers a solid reference to anyone embracing ‘The Woman’ next season.
Written by Georgia Takacs on Wednesday March 23rd, 2011 5:17 pm
I remember blogging about Eun Jeong eons ago, drugs enticed by her pretty minimalism with a crisp all-white palette one season. For me, web she most certainly stood out amongst even the top hot-ticketers of London Fashion Week and I had an inkling she wouldn’t be a one-seasoner. I was therefore thrilled and curious upon bagging an invitation to one of her two fashion shows in Covent Garden during fashion week.??
All photography by Georgia Takacs
I sat next to a lovely blogger named Hannah Newton of London Town’s a go go in another clever catwalk invention of a loop around the room, order with audience-members sitting on rows inside and outside of the square. We both shamelessly ruffled through our large goody bags with tiny goodies – cosmetics and a little heart-shaped purse by Kipling. And we didn’t bother with ‘acting the part of a fashionista’ all nonchalant and ‘oh! I get free overpriced make-up on a daily basis, sweetheart. It’s no biggie.’ We’re students and we were blooming happy with our freebies.??
We just knew that the intimate set-up would result in bagging some great up-close shots of the clothes and getting a good look at the detail and fabric. Then, after a long wait sitting by the runway (as is always the way with fashion shows), 1930s music was suddenly bouncing off the walls and the models took to the oddly-shaped catwalk.
It looked to me as if the collection had been inspired by Britain in war-time. Every model wore bronzed make-up with bronzed skin all over their body and the clothes themselves were British in many respects – pleats and wool and ruffles with lady-like cuts all over the joint. There were elegant camel-coloured coats and full-skirts that began at the waist and dropped to the floor in pressed pleats.
Bows and lace were everywhere. They both seem to be a common theme this season. Delicate bows were placed on skinny leather waist-belts and thick white lace acted as beautiful underskirts.
It wasn’t all classic tea-party tailoring, however. There were a fair few twists and turns along the way. Pleated skirts bore asymmetric ruffles and tails down one side and a certain set of dresses definitely seemed to stand-out amongst the thick fabrics and classic lady-wear – bright yellow numbers that screamed out an utterly architectural print, resembling the Golden Gate Bridge.
Jeong’s seemingly favourite design ethos of white white white reappeared this season with a fair few outfits almost entirely in creams and white that flowed down in thick luscious fabric – a pure and almost evangelical look that passed off beautifully.
I now know why I was taken with Eun Jeong right from her Fashion Fringe debut. Her clothes are beautiful, classic, unique and, most of all, wearable. I could, for example, most definitely see an strong office woman walking into work every day and turning heads in Eun Jeong’s statement-take on both the classical and the quintessentially British. I loved it.
She sounds delicate, lookwebsite like this pretty and well.. wonderful. Floating folk, her music is ethereal and yet very raw. We at Amelia’s have been fans of Nancy Elizabeth for yonks. See the review of her album, Wrought Iron, available on the Leaf Label, here. Then see live reviews, here and here from 2007. This is our first interview with her. She is simply charming as you can read. Enjoy.
You sound so relaxed when you play your music, it’s like having a massage listening to you! Are you a very relaxed person? Erm, It’s hard to tell how relaxed you yourself are because you have nothing to measure it against. I’ve never been inside someone else’s mind to see how it is. Nevertheless, I do feel at home on stage even though I hate people staring at me. It’s a strange juxtaposition. I’m generally a relaxed person I suppose. I hate rushing and spend a lot of time day dreaming.
How did you get to where you are today?
I have a great mentor, Daisaku Ikeda, who has taught me never to give in to disbelief and doubt. I adore making music, so I do as much of it as possible.
Have you always been creative?
Yes, it’s quite tiring. I am always thinking of sounds and images and how to make new things. Having said that, I don’t know if I’m that creative. I do create a lot of stuff, but again, I’ve never been inside the mind of an accountant so I don’t know what that’d be like. I imagine everyone is creative, just in different ways. I can’t create a spreadsheet that will calculate the cost of cornflakes to save my life, because I don’t care. Some people do! I think creativity is the desire to do something and the necessary inspiration to do it, whatever it may be. Some people have that for cooking, some people have it for equations. I have it for music and words.
What musical instruments do you play and when did you start learning them?
I generally play anything that comes my way. I’ve got a piano and a guitar and a little harp and a few other stringed instruments, a celeste, synths, bells, drums. Loads of stuff. My house is a nightmare. Can’t move for instruments. They’re not designed to be economic with space. I started with the piano when I was ten but I hated having lessons so I rebelled and taught myself guitar. From then on I’ve collected various things and ended up falling back in love with the piano, but on my own terms, not the teacher’s terms.
Who inspires your music?
Everyone I meet. I particularly adore Aphex Twin and I’d love to be inside his mind for a moment. I also love poetry and dialects.
How do you use the countryside/city/people as tools to write your lyrics?
I don’t really think about that. I live in a city. I sometimes go for walks in the countryside. I’m always writing so it makes no difference where I am. I use my own feelings as inspiration and both people and places being out different feelings so I try and mix it up as much as possible. I’ll be out clubbing one week and staring at a mountain the next. I have loads of different kinds of friends and enemies. It’s all a rich tapestry to me.
It’s so easy to become immersed in your music and drift off to a little world. Would you say your lyrics are your almost like your ‘own world’?
Yes. I find it really hard to deal with the reality of paying my rent and organizing paperwork. I’m 100% completely absorbed by my story of life and I live it like it’s a book unfolding. I sometimes want to shoot myself in the head and put a rest to it all but I don’t have a gun and anyway, even struggling to pay my rent is a story and a new chapter so I embrace it all. My songs are most definitely like chapters in a story. I don’t even care if no one cares. I am living out my life like a play and I love all the characters dearly. If I didn’t have many different kinds of sub plots and storylines going on then I wouldn’t be able to understand or relate to any one else’s story. It’s all interesting. I think I will write music until I die.
Does it ever make you feel vulnerable, articulating and exposing it?
Not really. In this modern age people seem to think you’ve got to put on some kind of show, especially in the arts. I am completely myself. I believe that my life is perfect as it is, with all it’s flaws and foibles. Surely I would not be happy if I felt I had to hide it? I think that sometimes people don’t like my level of honesty but I am happy this way so I will keep on writing music that is a representation of how I feel and if no one likes it I don’t worry. I don’t think that other people’s opinion’s has any bearing on how valuable what I do is. This is the only way to not end up making shit, lifeless music, or die of heartache in an industry and world where money and fame are the only accepted ways to measure success. It might sound arrogant, but it’s just self-belief, the two are not the same. I believe in myself completely, but I also have absolute belief in other people.
How do you escape it and free your mind?!
Day dreaming, dancing and the odd pint.
Is it hard to sit down and motivate yourself sometimes? How do you do it?
Yes I sometimes put off what needs to be done because it feels like the task it too big and everything is hard and scary. This never benefits me but I’ve learned not to give myself a hard time for it. I think motivation comes in direct proportion to how inspired I feel, and how inspired I feel comes in direct proportion to how much I’m striving to understand the purpose of my life. As I say, going out for a pint usually helps, as does eating curry and turning my music up loud and dancing around.
Where did you grow up, and where do you reside now?
I grew up in the wonderful town of Wigan and I now live in my beloved city of Manchester.
How important is ‘home’ to you? Do you get nostalgic?
I’ve wondered about this loads. I’m in love with the North of England. I really love other places too, but a few years ago I realized that I always measure everything against what I first knew… Wigan. I suppose the word “home” means, the place where you consider to be the centre of your world. Of course that can mean many different things. Geographically, at least, that will always be Lancashire for me. I always wear rose tinted spectacles when it comes to Lancashire. Red ones, of course.
How do you challenge yourself?
Ooo that’s a big question. I’d like to say I go for a jog at 6am everyday but that would be a giant lie. I try and read and see something good in people who I might dislike. If I just outright hate them then I’ll try and understand why and take a look at myself. I try and make my fingers play things they don’t want to on the piano, but only if it sounds good. Drumming is great for me because I usually can’t physically do what is in my mind, but after a good practice it all comes right. That is great.
What are you working on now?
MY THIRD ALBUM! God only knows when it shall be ready. I’m not rushing.
Thank you x
Nancy will be playing three more dates this month. See them here.
Illustration by Artist Andrea
This is my first front row show at London Fashion Week, buy so I’m terribly excited. So far I’ve been stomped on, prostate pushed and poked in my attempt to view the catwalk, viagra sale so this good fortune is very much welcomed. A photographer makes his way down the catwalk before the main event starts and snaps the front row. I’m not sure I should be here, but I smile like I own my seat. And as the lights dim, then brilliantly alight once more, my camera is swiftly awakened; lens cap off, switch flicked on, pointing to shoot. Queue the music and it begins.
Monochrome trails the catwalk with authority and chic; a combination of dark strong leather shorts and skirts and light flowing chiffon shirts. Military tailoring softened with fluidity. They’re embellished with a bullet detailing, which, I later learn, is inspired by the Georgian National Ballets costume worn by male ballet dancers. The Georgian National Ballet costumes have also been the source of inspiration for a variety of designers. Did you know that writer Terry Nation’s creation of the Daleks in Doctor Who was inspired by costumes of the Georgian National Ballet too?
The hair compliments the theme. Long Heidi style plaits, careful topknots and intricately braided updos. Clean, neat, confident. And what of the shoes?! I’m tempted to pull a pair of Lako Bukia stunning signature (Mary Jane-esque) heels right off the pretty feet of an unassuming model.
The catwalk changes colour, as the black and whites retreat and the wines, dusky pinks and pearly greys glide in. Colours are good. Colours make me happy. Beautiful swirling chiffon skirts accompanying softly draping silk shirts, then leather trousers and leather skirts and leather shouldered chiffon shirts.
On float dreamy wispy dresses. Criss-crossing leather straps add a touch of the urban, reigning in the wearer, back to the city, whilst shoulders of golden coins encourage indulgence and a retreat into the sublime.
But it’s the finale that really causes ooohing and aaahing and eyes to widen. A deep blood red dress, its upper half blanketed in golden coins and a skirt that sweeps the floor and ripples as the model moves. It’s obviously the piece the designer is most proud of, as she captures the stage accompanied by her final piece.
More applause and then it’s over and the audience is rushing to get to their next show. A guest sitting in the row behind me is trying to get a hold of something under my seat, so I turn to help her. She jumps back.
“Erm… Can I have your goodie bag,” she asks coyly. Oh my! She had just tried to steal my goodie bag and I had almost let her, I realise. I smile and decline her request. I should probably thank her for alerting me. I’m feeling almost guilty for refusing her now, but hey, this is my first London Fashion Week goody bag and I’m taking it!
