Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W10 – Iris Van Herpen Catwalk Review

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When the news of Lee Alexander McQueen’s untimely death broke only a week before the start of London Fashion Week, about it everybody quite rightly predicted that the event would become a tribute to the late designer. They were right.

Harold Tillman, approved chair of the British Fashion Council, information pills opened Fashion Week paying tribute to McQueen, speaking of his ‘extraordinary impact’ on both British and international fashion, and inviting us to join in a minute’s silence.

Sarah Brown continued the tributes, to a crowd of McQueen wearers, saying that fashion week would be ‘a reflective time with the passing of Lee McQueen’.

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A tribute wall, erected in the main area, was covered in hand-written postcards in only a number of hours. These included Sarah Brown herself, esteemed designers, colleagues, press and the public alike.

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Over at On|Off, a bunch of iPods had been set into the wall, each containing a different McQueen collection, inviting the attendees to scroll through the images. I could have looked at this for hours.

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Read our full tribute here.
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When the news of Lee Alexander McQueen’s untimely death broke only a week before the start of London Fashion Week, dosage everybody quite rightly predicted that the event would become a tribute to the late designer. They were right.

Harold Tillman, view chair of the British Fashion Council, order opened Fashion Week paying tribute to McQueen, speaking of his ‘extraordinary impact’ on both British and international fashion, and inviting us to join in a minute’s silence.

Sarah Brown continued the tributes, to a crowd of McQueen wearers, saying that fashion week would be ‘a reflective time with the passing of Lee McQueen’.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_MAIN

A tribute wall, erected in the main area, was covered in hand-written postcards in only a number of hours. These included Sarah Brown herself, esteemed designers, colleagues, press and the public alike.

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Over at On|Off, a bunch of iPods had been set into the wall, each containing a different McQueen collection, inviting the attendees to scroll through the images. I could have looked at this for hours.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_1

Read our full tribute here.
LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_2

When the news of Lee Alexander McQueen’s untimely death broke only a week before the start of London Fashion Week, order everybody quite rightly predicted that the event would become a tribute to the late designer. They were right.

Harold Tillman, drug chair of the British Fashion Council, opened Fashion Week paying tribute to McQueen, speaking of his ‘extraordinary impact’ on both British and international fashion, and inviting us to join in a minute’s silence.

Sarah Brown continued the tributes, to a crowd of McQueen wearers, saying that fashion week would be ‘a reflective time with the passing of Lee McQueen’.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_MAIN

A tribute wall, erected in the main area, was covered in hand-written postcards in only a number of hours. These included Sarah Brown herself, esteemed designers, colleagues, press and the public alike.

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Over at On|Off, a bunch of iPods had been set into the wall, each containing a different McQueen collection, inviting the attendees to scroll through the images. I could have looked at this for hours.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_1

Read our full tribute here.
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A fashionista reflects on Friday morning, erectile wearing a McQueen scarf

When the news of Lee Alexander McQueen’s untimely death broke only a week before the start of London Fashion Week, ambulance everybody quite rightly predicted that the event would become a tribute to the late designer. They were right.

Harold Tillman, chair of the British Fashion Council, opened Fashion Week paying tribute to McQueen, speaking of his ‘extraordinary impact’ on both British and international fashion, and inviting us to join in a minute’s silence.

Sarah Brown continued the tributes, to a crowd of McQueen wearers, saying that fashion week would be ‘a reflective time with the passing of Lee McQueen’.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_MAIN

A tribute wall, erected in the main area, was covered in hand-written postcards in only a number of hours. These included Sarah Brown herself, esteemed designers, colleagues, press and the public alike.

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Over at On|Off, a bunch of iPods had been set into the wall, each containing a different McQueen collection, inviting the attendees to scroll through the images. I could have looked at this for hours.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_1

Read our full tribute here.
LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_2
A fashionista reflects on Friday morning, cheapest wearing a McQueen scarf

When the news of Lee Alexander McQueen’s untimely death broke only a week before the start of London Fashion Week, dosage everybody quite rightly predicted that the event would become a tribute to the late designer. They were right.

Harold Tillman, chair of the British Fashion Council, opened Fashion Week paying tribute to McQueen, speaking of his ‘extraordinary impact’ on both British and international fashion, and inviting us to join in a minute’s silence.

Sarah Brown continued the tributes, to a crowd of McQueen wearers, saying that fashion week would be ‘a reflective time with the passing of Lee McQueen’.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_MAIN

A tribute wall, erected in the main area, was covered in hand-written postcards in only a number of hours. These included Sarah Brown herself, esteemed designers, colleagues, press and the public alike.

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LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_6

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Over at On|Off, a bunch of iPods had been set into the wall, each containing a different McQueen collection, inviting the attendees to scroll through the images. I could have looked at this for hours.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_1

Read our full tribute here.
LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_2
A fashionista reflects on Friday morning, ambulance wearing a McQueen scarf

When the news of Lee Alexander McQueen’s untimely death broke only a week before the start of London Fashion Week, capsule everybody quite rightly predicted that the event would become a tribute to the late designer.

Harold Tillman, healing chair of the British Fashion Council, opened Fashion Week paying tribute to McQueen, speaking of his ‘extraordinary impact’ on both British and international fashion, and inviting us to join in a minute’s silence.

Sarah Brown continued the tributes, to a crowd of McQueen wearers, saying that fashion week would be ‘a reflective time with the passing of Lee McQueen’.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_MAIN

A tribute wall, erected in the main area, was covered in hand-written postcards in only a number of hours. These included Sarah Brown herself, esteemed designers, colleagues, press and the public alike.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_4

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_3

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_11

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_5

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_6

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_7

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_8

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_9

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Over at On|Off, a bunch of iPods had been set into the wall, each containing a different McQueen collection, inviting the attendees to scroll through the images. I could have looked at this for hours.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_1

Read our full tribute here.
The Dutch diva of leather manipulation continues to impress with an absolutely stunning parade of shimmering leather lace body halos and sweeping dresses. First appearing 3 seasons ago with fine wire cages made of umbrella spokes, cost Van Herpen’s successive collections have seen her finesse leather into an altogether stunnning feat of material manipulation.

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Iris Van Herpen illustrated by Katie Harnett

This season’s helios-orange shimmer-backed leather laces were twisted to reveal and conceal as they wrapped around arching shoulders, ampoule floor length dresses and even massive platforms. A performer herself, ambulance most of these dresses are stage ready and we can easily guess which songstress in particluar will be bouncing about in one of these in her next video.

Fear not though most pieces in this collection were extremely wearable for ladies… and the occasional gentleman as she demonstrated by sending a young man down the runway in one of her more basic boxy frocks. And in those platforms, without a single misstep, we girls now have no excuse!

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Iris Van Herpen A/W10 photo courtesy of: Sabrina Morrison

One minidress with bustier detailing is elegantly adorned with pinches and twists of laser cut leather strips, finishing in a halter neck. A gorgeous example of her handicraft paired with what appeared to be etched leather.

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Iris Van Herpen A/W10 photo courtesy of: Sabrina Morrison

A long pigeon grey dress shifted a harness of elegantly draped leather laces from knee to knee the model strutted down the catwalk turning to reveal a sheer black back. Appearing in her usual palette of ecru, black and copper there was also the occasional accent of purple to offset the glowing metallics.

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Iris Van Herpen A/W10 photo courtesy of: Sabrina Morrison

A graduate of Artez Academy in Holland, Van Herpen has drawn past imagery from ancient Egyptians, smoke and birds. This season it was radiation waves. Her frequent allusions to corsetry both in structure and surface detail are still fully present. What is fantastic to see is that as her ambitious pieces develop so is her flattering sense of the human form. Materials no longer dictate and demand but now seem to be taking cues from their handler.

Categories ,artez, ,designer, ,dutch, ,fashion, ,Iris Van Herpen, ,lace, ,leather, ,London Fashion Week, ,textiles

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Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week A/W 2010 Catwalk Review: Bryce Aime, Romina Karamanea, Iris Van Herpen

Bryce Aime by Etiene Del Monte
Bryce Aime by Etiene Del Monte

Time flies past and before you know it fashion week is but a rainy memory from sometime back in February. Gosh, unhealthy it rained a lot didn’t it? And now look at all this lovely sunshine, visit web it just ain’t fair. So here, in no particular order, I offer a round up of the first few shows on Saturday 20th February, to be followed shortly by the remaining ones. From Saturday that is. I’m going slow here. Bear with me.

Bryce Aime by Etiene Del Monte
Bryce Aime by Etiene Del Monte

Bryce Aime named his show Egyptology but I thought it owed more to medieval battle wear. Or perhaps a re-envisioned Egypt more familiar to movie-goers and more specifically fans of The Mummy franchise, where historical accuracy tends to go the way of a believable plotline – I guess the one begets the other. The show featured strong shouldered shapes, big ruched hips, brusque we-mean-business banded hair and zipped leggings: perfect gear for heading straight into war, (maybe) worn over purple digital catsuits that might feasibly offer camouflage on some colourful alien shores. Though I’m not sure that brocade and draped lamme in coppery red metallics would offer much protection. The body armoured theme reached its logical conclusion in the amazing transformer-like sculpted shapes of the final three costumes, the only ones displayed with pride at the entrance to the on/off exhibition. Stunnin’ they were.

Bryce Aime by Etiene Del Monte
Bryce Aime by Etiene Del Monte

I caught up with Bryce briefly over at Somerset House later in the week, where he fidgeted nervously as if either a) desperate for a cigarette or b) desperate to get away from me. In a thick Parisian accent he described how he originally came over here to work in bars and restaurants in 1998, before deciding he wanted to study fine art. But he didn’t reckon there would be any money in it, so instead he did fashion at Central St. Martins and graduated in 2005.

Romina Karamanea show
The Romina Karamanea queue – I was bored alright. I quite like the lady with a ghost leg.

With a biting cold wind whistling down New Oxford Street we waited in a long snaking queue, guaranteed to irritate the casual Saturday shoppers, to see the Romina Karamanea show in the Runway Nightclub. I really couldn’t work out if this name was for real! Is it? Anyone? We were eventually guided into a cramped venue with early-comers already perched on banquettes, only to be irritated as rows of people coalesced in front of them.

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The Romina Karamanea show in the Runway Nightclub.

Here I had my first sighting of baby-leg woman, a young scenester with artfully arranged fashion-forward frizzed out asymmetric hair and tight plaits (and mulitple baby doll legs dangling off every her). Doing that usual thing of looking moody when asked to pose for a photo “what, me? really? dressed like this? quelle surprise!”, she then refused all requests to sit down so that the people behind her could see the show. I mean, c’mon now, how could she? Honestly people, she had some serious extracurricular cardboard hips going on there. Be fair now.

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Baby-leg Girl (and sidekick)

Finally the models began to step slowly down the runway, pausing to pose dramatically below the lights and dangling crystals. It was dramatic fo’ sure but because most of the clothing was black leather and it was dark it was incredibly hard to make out the clothes. My notes read: draped leather, cutouts, tailoring, hoods, bell shapes, spiky ankle boots: the overall impression was severe. Not really my thing. Lighten up I say!

Romina Karamanea by Amelia Gregory
Romina Karamanea. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Romina Karamanea by Rachel De Ste. Croix
Romina Karamanea by Rachel De Ste. Croix

Romina Karamanea hairdo
A Romina Karamanea hairdo – snakey plaits a-go-go. Love it.

Romina Karamanea. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Romina Karamanea by Rachel De Ste. Croix
Romina Karamanea by Rachel De Ste. Croix

Next stop, I found myself sitting next to stylist Tamara Cincik at the Iris Van Herpen show over in the Freemasons’ Hall. As we waited for the show to begin we gossiped about mutual friends and she commented on what an unfortunate name this designer has. Indeed. But she has trained with Alexander McQueen (god rest his soul) and so has a fabulous pedigree.

Iris Van Herpen by Kelly Smith
Iris Van Herpen by Kelly Smith
Iris Van Herpen by Kelly Smith

Now I am going to feel a little compromised saying this, but I absolutely loved this collection. Iris specialises in cutout leather sculptures that remind me of shimmering sea creatures, christmas trees (in a good way), otherworldly goddesses. There was lots of creamy flesh tones teamed once again with coppery metallics, curling and winding into utterly gorgeous concoctions. But it was also all leather. And whilst I will happily wear leather shoes because I think they’re pretty necessary for practicality and comfort, I am not sure how I feel about a clothing collection that is so reliant on an animal product, even one that is less obviously cruel and harmful than fur. Less obvious being the operative word. I feel a little more research coming on shortly… watch this space.

Iris Van Herpen. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Iris Van Herpen. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Iris Van Herpen. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Iris Van Herpen. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Iris Van Herpen. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Iris Van Herpen. Photography by Amelia Gregory
Iris Van Herpen. Photography by Amelia Gregory

Categories ,Baby-leg girl, ,Bryce Aime, ,catwalk, ,Crystals, ,Etiene Del Monte, ,Fashion Illustration, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Iris Van Herpen, ,Kelly Smith, ,leather, ,metallics, ,onoff, ,Rachel De Ste. Croix, ,Romina Karamanea

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Amelia’s Magazine | Iris Van Herpen

Home to canals and cannabis, dams, diamonds and professional damsels Holland is an entirely civilized and modern society. But one Dutch girl’s gaze is fixed on another civilization entirely. The first one. The grains of thought for designer Iris Van Herpen’s A/W ‘09 collection sprouted from the fertile banks of the River Nile in ancient Egypt. The young designer found inspiration in the post humous labor of love by which the ancient Egyptians sent their nearest and dearest off to the beyond. Forsaking strips of linen in favor of intricate leather lacework, her garments carefully envelop the body like grandiose and elegant mummies.

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“Egyptians considered the ‘reality’ that they created for their deaths as THE reality, while their daily life was an illusion. In other words, don’t believe everything that looks obvious, but create your own reality…”
When asked how she might adapt this philosophy to her modern hectic life Iris supposes “give more and give another way of attention to everything around me and everything I do, making choices in another way and giving more space to the unexpected”
Sounds simple enough, coming from someone whose intense focus has yielded garments requiring the better part of a month and 4 assistants to complete, resulting in complex one-off works of art that are impossible to duplicate. That singularity is what lends these pieces much of their ephemeral quality.

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Clearly passionate about fabrics Iris relishes the “challenge to look further than fabrics… to find interesting materials and get them out of their ‘reality’ or fuction.” She accomplishes this by “giving them another life” by creating her own function for them.
Iris has shown in both Amsterdam’s and Tokyo’s Fashion Weeks where her A/W ‘08 collection Chemical Crows ruffled more than a few feathers. The designer toys with the idea of juxtaposing industrial and traditional materials and has explored everything from radiating umbrella spoke dresses to lace facemasks (which I imagine go over very well with the female mexican wrestler set).

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Pointing out that maths were her forte (as opposed to languages) Iris welcomes the structural challenges posed by the unique materials and her ambitious ideas. Confronted with endless recalculations in an effort to retain the delicate symmetry of her handmade pieces she admits the small, 10 piece collection, would be impossible to reproduce. A process which would, she admits, surely drive her to madness.

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With stints at Alexander McQueen and Victor & Rolf Iris emerged with additional technical know-how and perhaps a clearer sense of purpose. “I learned… that I get restless if I cannot express myself and not do my own thing.”
Not having specifically intended to venture out on her own so quickly, Iris recalls launching herself into the creation of new designs the day after her graduation from Artez School of Arts. to the amazement, and at times concern, of friends.

The Ancient Egyptians believed that when someone died their soul left their body. It would then return and be reunited with the body after it was buried. However the soul needed to find and recognize the body in order to live forever. Hence the decadently decorative sarcophagi. Figuring we won’t be here forever….how would you design yours?

Categories ,Alexander McQueen, ,amsterdam, ,Amsterdam Fashion Week, ,artez, ,Chemical Crows, ,egyptian, ,fashion, ,Iris Van Herpen, ,leather, ,Tokyo Fashion Week, ,Victor & Rolf

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Amelia’s Magazine | Fashion Designer Wilson PK introduces his AW15 Collection

Wilson PK - AW15 look 13
Wilson PK is a 24 year old London based fashion designer and graduate of Central Saint Martins who has worked with Alexander Wang and Iris van Herpen. He works with a sharp modern silhouette and highly developed textiles. Here the designer explains more about his new collection:

Wilson PK - AW15 look 11
Wilson PK - AW15 look 12
‘My inspiration for the AW15 collection draws on my experience working at Crisis, the homeless charity, during Christmas. I sensed a very strong social hierarchy taking place in East London and really wanted to portray this in my collection but in a very abstract way. I started by exploring the architecture of East London and was interested in the juxtaposition of council houses & modern buildings. The clash between the ageing brick houses against the geometric skyscrapers quickly caught my attention and become my key element for AW15.

Wilson PK - AW15 look 9
Wilson PK - AW15 look 7
As a brand, we are all about innovative materials. In an industry where silhouettes have been over exhausted, I hope to bring forward a fresh perspective through unseen materials. For AW15 we teamed up with Stoll Technology and we have already created new knitwear techniques such as the double bonded knit. This material appears as a mohair but is lined with lycra to act like a neoprene, eliminating itch and doubling up as shape wear. As honey comb pleated leather, it creates an extraordinary architectural fabric which is perfect for our long coat.

Wilson PK - AW15 look 3

For AW15, we are designing for an affluent woman with a fast paced lifestyle who is looking for easy to wear, statement pieces to take her from day to night. From a rubber and wool blend jumper to leather skirt, the collection is contemporary and sophisticated yet appears effortless.’

Categories ,Alexander Wang, ,AW15, ,Central Saint Martins, ,Crisis, ,Iris Van Herpen, ,Stoll Technology, ,Wilson PK

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