Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Menswear Day Catwalk Review: Ones to Watch Baartmans and Siegel

Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 by Barb Royal
Baartmans and Siegel S/S 2012 by Barb Royal.

Baartmans and Siegel are already making waves in menswear land: the upcoming brand is stocked by Harrods. A look at their S/S 2012 collection reveals why. It is an easy going range of summery suits, remedy accessories and separates in perfect boy tones: lots of pewter, store stone, price dusty blue and dashes of orange and caramel. Of particular note were the chunky leather satchels, snood silk scarves and cosy striped handknit cotton cardigans and jumpers, all worn with comfy brogues by classic shoemakers Grenson.

LFW_SS12_OnestoWatchMen_BaartmansSiegel_MattBramford
LFW_SS12_OnestoWatchMen_BaartmansSiegel_MattBramford
LFW_SS12_OnestoWatchMen_BaartmansSiegel_MattBramford
LFW_SS12_OnestoWatchMen_BaartmansSiegel_MattBramford
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All photography by Matt Bramford.

Baartmans Siegel LFW by Katie Allen
Baartmans Siegel S/S 2012 by Katie Allen.

Wouter Baartman and Amber Siegel are a Dutch/English design partnership who met whilst designing at Viktor & Rolf and became united over their love of beautiful craftsmanship and imaginative design.

Ones to Watch men Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch men Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Baartmans and Siegel (SS-2012) by Barb Royal
Baartmans and Siegel S/S 2012 by Barb Royal.

The Dust Drifters collection was inspired by the colours of an arid landscape, perfect for the modern traveller and Baartmans and Siegel‘s use of quality fabrics such as Irish linen and silk crepe contributes to the air of luxury. They describe themselves as ‘modern traditionalists’ and it’s easy to see how this ethos has been translated into clothing. Beautiful.

Ones to Watch men Baartmans and Siegel SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Categories ,Amber Siegel, ,Barb Royal, ,Dust Drifters, ,dutch, ,English, ,Fashion Scout, ,Grenson, ,Handknit, ,Harrods, ,Katie Allen, ,lfw, ,Luxury, ,Matt Bramford, ,menswear, ,Ones To Watch, ,S/S 2012, ,Silk Crepe, ,Wouter Baartman

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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.
LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_2

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.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_4

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LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_11

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_5

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

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.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_4

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_3

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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, 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.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_4

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_3

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_11

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_5

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_6

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LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_10

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.

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_4

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_3

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_11

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_5

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_6

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_7

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_8

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_9

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_10

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

LFW_AlexanderMcQueen_10

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 | Hellen van Rees: London Fashion Week S/S 2013 Catwalk Review

Hellen Van Rees S/S 2013 by Kristina Vasiljeva
Hellen Van Rees S/S 2013 by Kristina Vasiljeva.

I was most delighted to read that Dutch designer Hellen van Rees uses recycled materials to create her innovative tweeds, which are hand crafted into sculptural garments. The Central Saint Martins graduate rounded off this season’s Ones to Watch with easily the most conceptual collection of the four.

Ones to Watch hellen van rees SS 2013 photography Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch hellen van rees SS 2013 photography Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch hellen van rees SS 2013 photography Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch hellen van rees SS 2013 photography Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch hellen van rees SS 2013 photography Amelia Gregory
Square2: Exploring Excitement melded the commercial and the avante garde in clever harmony: the squares of the title appearing as boxy protrusions on otherwise wearable cute tweed mini dresses. Using a colour palette of lemon, grey, dirty white and pale blue, the wilder creations with box hems or jutting shoulder pieces were surely not meant for everyday wear but I could imagine just about getting away with dresses decorated with smaller plastic appliques. Glossy plasticised tweed and raw edging provided contrasting textures, whilst cocks comb headdresses added further architectural interest. Designers such as Hellen van Rees are particularly exciting to follow, as they traverse the tricky line between artistic brilliance and the wearability that will make their fashion label a success.

Ones to Watch hellen van rees SS 2013 photography Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch hellen van rees SS 2013 photography Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch hellen van rees SS 2013 photography Amelia Gregory
Ones to Watch hellen van rees SS 2013 photography Amelia Gregory
Hellen van Rees S/S 2013. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Categories ,Central Saint Martins, ,dutch, ,eco, ,Fashion Scout, ,Hellen van Rees, ,Kristina Vasiljeva, ,lfw, ,Ones To Watch, ,S/S 2013, ,Square2: Exploring Excitement, ,sustainable, ,Tweed

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Pieter Nooten and review of new album Surround Us

Pieter Nooten by Adam Pryce
Pieter Nooten by Adam Pryce.

There are echoes of Brian Eno in this beautifully haunting collection of songs that straddle the definitions of classical and ambient music. Surround Us opens with Ode, which showcases the delicate strings of improv cellist Lucas Stam set against a lush orchestral backdrop provided by the electronic wizardry of pioneering musician Pieter Nooten. An End is a highlight for the dulcet tones of Stam‘s strings whilst the humming strums of Blue Wonder creates the perfect undercurrent for breathy vocals. Secret Room conjures up the world of a former recluse stepping back into life but Blue Square presents a narrative far more abstract. Belong brings the album to a beatific repose: perfect for lazy summer afternoons. Just don’t call it pop…

pieter nooten surround us album cover
You used to be part of Clan of Xymox – I will confess I know nothing of this intriguing sounding band which began life many a moon ago in the Netherlands – can you tell us a bit more about it and what your part was as a songwriter?
We signed to 4AD in the early 80’s. At that time I was intrigued by early electronica: affordable mono – as well as polyphonic synthesizers, triggering drum machines, step sequencing and so on in a pre and post-midi era. For the first two albums I contributed a lot; most tracks were distilled from my demo’s. After Xymox signed to a major US label I lost interest, mainly because the rest of the band, Ronny and Anka, decided to go for a more accessible sound. During that period I produced the highly acclaimed ambient cd Sleeps With The Fishes together with producer/guitarist Michael Brook, and decided to leave the band.

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How did you come to work entirely with electronic arrangements? Did you first have a grounding in traditional musical instruments and how did you teach yourself to make music?
When I was young I played several instruments: I started with drums, then played the bass guitar, a bit of electrical guitar and then moved on to keyboards. My dad was also sort of a multi instrumentalist, but totally self taught, autodidact. So there wasn’t an intention to choose one particular instrument or the other. You just picked it up and learned it along the way. This discipline has formed the basis of my composing technique.

Pieter Nooten, Surround Us by Julie Ritchie
Pieter Nooten, Surround Us by Julie Ritchie.

What has your heritage as a Dutch person contributed to your music making?
I find it hard to answer that. My influences vary from early Italian baroque, to German Krautrock, early ambient music and avant garde and new wave from the early 80’s. I am not a great pop music enthusiast. Never was. I have no interest in the archetypical anglo american pop music and I am not an R&B or rock fan. On the contrary, I find most guitar bands contrived if not reactionary conservative in their endless use of rock clichés and the puberal behaviour that seems to come with it. I am not sure if that has anything to do with my heritage but it could be. In other words, I like my music authentic but above all emotionally honest and subjectively personal.


You are quoted as being more influenced by classical music such as Bach than by modern pop – but are there any other modern pop musicians that you think we should listen to?
I really honestly do not keep up with contemporary pop music. In my opinion pop music had its renaissance in the 60’s and 70’s, overlapping the early 80’s. Just like baroque music had its heydays. After that it became a sort of repetition of old achievements over and over again. Something new needs to happen and I believe there are some bright signals on the horizon. I personally love some of the material of Sigur Ros, A Winged Victory Of The Sullen, Radio Head, Bjork and like minded explorers of new electronica.

Pieter-Nooten-by-Anthony-Peters
Pieter Nooten by Anthony Peters.

Why is passion so important to you and what is the most passionate thing you can think of doing?
I cannot imagine composing without passion, how hopelessly romantic that may sound. What other reasons would there be to produce art in the first place? The flattering of a narcissistic Ego? Money? Fame? Not for me. I live quite a reclusive life and I enjoy being left alone. Composing music remains my greatest passion.

Pieter Nooten by EdieOP
Pieter Nooten by EdieOP.

Who do you hope that this album will reach, and how do you hope that your listeners will hear it?
I hope it will reach people that need to hear it! What can I say. I hope people will listen to it with a clear head, not comparing it to anything, as I have not composed it with a certain style or genre in mind. It’s done in total isolation, with only me, my laptop and the objective ears of my girlfriend who helped me not to make too many strange decisions during those moments when I was getting a bit lost in my own world!

YouTube Preview Image
YouTube Preview Image
Surround Us is out now and available through Rocket Girl Records.

Categories ,4ad, ,A Winged Victory Of The Sullen, ,Adam Pryce, ,Ambient, ,Anthony Peters, ,bjork, ,brian eno, ,classical, ,dutch, ,EdieOP, ,German Krautrock, ,improvisation, ,Julie Ritchie, ,Lucas Stam, ,Michael Brook, ,Pieter Nooten, ,Radio Head, ,Rocket Girl Music, ,Rocket Girl Records, ,Ronny and Anka, ,sigur ros, ,Sleeps With The Fishes

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