Amelia’s Magazine | London Fashion Week S/S 2012 Catwalk Review: Inbar Spector

Inbar Spector SS12 by Gilly Rochester
Inbar Spector S/S 2012 by Gilly Rochester.

I was entirely new to Inbar Spector this London Fashion Week, advice having heard of the Israeli born designer from devotee Gabby Young just a day before the show. Gabby frequently wears Inbar Spector on stage and was of course in attendance on the front row.

Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 by Jane Young
Inbar Spector S/S 2012 by Jane Young.

The fabulously named Inbar Spector has become well known for complex constructions and rich fabrics, and this seasons collection was no different. It featured a strong gothic 80s feel in favoured materials such as zips, chains, lace and faux leather (in line with her strict vegetarian beliefs). For her S/S 2012 collection Inbar Spector was inspired by a great fire which destroyed the majority of her home town in Israel: visions of violence, fire and terrifying medical situations were all fed into the mix. She writes on the press release about the anticipation and excitement that is tinged with fear when Israelis go to any big public event or party in Israel. Hence a certain spikiness in the styling.

Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory

The show opened with a lacy garment over which was worn a loose patchwork metallic embossed jacket. Models were styled with scary haystack hair, a line of grips stacking up behind their ears. It was certainly a break with current hair styling trends.

Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
LFW Inbar Spector S/S 2012 by Celine Choo
Inbar Spector S/S 2012 by Celine Choo.

Severe catwalk lighting meant that models gained a beautiful backlit halo as they neared the photographers’ pit, with every contour highlighted. Luckily the models also stopped right in front of me to allow the audience a closer look at the garments. An oversized silvery coat was my favourite of the outerwear but the faux leather worked just as well in a short golden dress. Delicate materials wrapped around the body in tangled layers, melding with the metallics.

Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory

Then out strode a model wearing the most breath-taking bubble dress made out of gossamer light material as if to resemble a wonky christmas fold out paper decoration. Another shorter tutu style dress in palest peach was paired with gold leather and yet another version entirely encased the body in intricate folds. I have no idea how Inbar Spector achieved these looks but they were quite staggering. The final two dresses were even more spectacular – the first in heaped tiers of frothy cream that wrapped around the model’s neck. The second showstopper would have been fit to dress a fairy atop the christmas tree – a vast concertina-ed dress made entirely in laser cut gold fabric. Astonishing and very unique.

Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory
Inbar Spector S/S 2012. All photography by Amelia Gregory.

Inbar Spector SS 2012 review-photo by Amelia Gregory gabby young
The beautiful Gabby Young.

Categories ,80s, ,Celine Choo, ,Fashion Scout, ,Faux Leather, ,gabby young, ,Gilly Rochester, ,gothic, ,Inbar Spector, ,Israel, ,Jane Young, ,lace, ,leather, ,lfw, ,London Fashion Week, ,London Kills Me, ,review, ,S/S 2012, ,Task PR, ,vegetarian, ,Violence

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Amelia’s Magazine | Inbar Spector: London Fashion Week A/W 2012 Catwalk Review

Inbar Spector AW 2012 by Mitika Chohan

Inbar Spector AW 2012 by Mitika Chohan

I first came across an Inbar Spector dress on a ‘wall’ created by Gabby Young and Katie Antoniou’s Gabberdashery for Supermarket Sarah. It was a voluminous, twisted, tulle dress in a gorgeous light ocean blue which instantly made an impression on me. Since then I have followed Inbar Spector’s work via her strong presence on Facebook, which has enabled me to have peaks into her studio, see pieces in progress, and get a glimpse of her sweet personality. I also had the pleasure of seeing one of her creations in real life worn by Gabby Young – a fan of Spector’s designs – during Gabby Young and Other Animals’ Koko gig last October.

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

So I was quite excited to see Inbar Spector‘s A/W 2012 collection at Fashion Scout’s venue, Freemasons’ Hall. I was certain that I was going to have my dose of the extraordinary, which I very much craved after a couple of less than thrilling London Fashion Week experiences the night before. I was not disappointed: I felt a smile forming the moment the show began. The models, beautifully styled by Hope Von Joel, walked slowly towards the photographers’ pit accompanied by a great soundtrack mixed by Todd Hart.

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW 2012 by Love Amelia

Inbar Spector AW 2012 by Love Amelia

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

There was a lot of continuity from S/S 2012. Inbar Spector displayed again her amazing skills in constructing, twisting and knotting generous amounts of silks in soft pastels on metallic faux leather laser cut bodysuits and dresses. The slightly 80s disco metallic bodysuits seemed to me to match perfectly with Todd Hart’s mix, which featured heavily electric keyboard sounds from that decade.

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW 2012 by Rosa and Carlotta Crepax Illustrated Moodboard

Inbar Spector AW 2012 by Rosa and Carlotta Crepax Illustrated Moodboard

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

This 80s aura helped us escape for a few moments back to a time when we were younger – and maybe richer. The theme to Inbar Spector’s show was indeed Escapism. She quotes ‘fairytales, manga, dreams and circus clowns’ as some of her inspirations for this season. She also makes a connection between the perforated faux leather elements in her clothes – which allow a lot of skin to show through so that one does not know where the real body starts and ends – and people being ‘ruffled’, like some of her clothes, by having plastic surgery and so escaping from the reality of their bodies.

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW 2012 Lara Jensen headpiece by Love Amelia

Inbar Spector AW 2012 Lara Jensen headpiece by Love Amelia

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Escaping or changing one’s identity or hiding behind something were relevant themes to another star in the show: the elaborately jewelled headpieces by Lara Jensen which fell in front of the models’ faces like masks. They certainly reminded me of lavishly adorned princesses and maidens from tales of exotic places, but I could not help thinking they also had an element of S&M to them, which again created a link to escapism. I think I was aided in this thought by the constant recurrence in the soundtrack mix of the song ‘Obsession’ by the band Army of Lovers.

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW 2012 by Novemto Komo

Inbar Spector AW 2012 by Novemto Komo

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW 2012 by Reed Rainer

Inbar Spector AW 2012 by Reed Rainer

Again similarly to what she has done in previous shows, Inbar Spector presented her collection building an impressive crescendo by starting with less theatrical pieces, gradually sending out more and more voluminous garments, finishing off with two numbers which were so heart stopping and exciting the audience could not help but clap, cheer and whistle in keen approval. When in the end a tiny, adorable Inbar walked down the catwalk holding hands with the model who was wearing her gigantic closing number, she was drowned by it in physical terms, but her potential and creativity seemed just as gigantic – and then some.

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

Inbar Spector AW12 photo by Maria Papadimitriou

All photography by Maria Papadimitriou

Categories ,80s, ,Army of Colours, ,Bodysuit, ,Bride, ,Circus, ,Constructivism, ,Crinolines, ,disco, ,Escapism, ,Exotic, ,fairytales, ,Faux Leather, ,Freemasons’ Hall, ,Gabberdashery, ,gabby young, ,Gabby Young and Other Animals, ,Headpiece, ,Hope Von Joel, ,Illustrated Moodboard, ,Inbar Spector, ,jewellery, ,Katie Antoniou, ,Kerry Jones, ,lace, ,Lara Jensen, ,Laser Cutting, ,London Fashion Week, ,Love Amelia, ,Manga, ,Maria Papadimitriou, ,Masks, ,Metalic, ,Mitika Chohan, ,Novemto Komo, ,Obsession, ,Pastel Colours, ,pastels, ,Perforated, ,Plastic Surgery, ,Reed Rainer, ,Rosa and Carlotta Crepax, ,Ruffles, ,S&M, ,Sadomasochism, ,Silks, ,Supermarket Sarah, ,Todd Hart, ,Vauxhall Fashion Scout

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